


Every Hit Matters

by orphan_account



Category: Assassination Classroom, Haikyuu!!
Genre: (i don't condone drug use), AYYYE FINALLY, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Birthday, Birthday Presents, Boys Kissing, Boys in Skirts, Bruises, CROW SONS, Crushes, Daddy Kink, Damnit, Dick Jokes, Dinner, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Established Relationship, FINALLY WE GETTING HIGH, First Day of School, First Kiss, GOSH, HAIKYUU REFERENCES, Head Injury, Hiroto is weak and so am I, Hiroto knows his stuff, Hugs, I WANTED IT TO BE A HIGH SCHOOL AU, I love them both, I promise, Important Talks, Isogai fucks Maehara up, KageHina - Freeform, Kenma and Kuroo, Kinda, Kissing, LEV IS SO TALL, Lev is too tall, Light Masochism, Light Sadism, Love Confessions, Love/Hate, Lunch Times, M/M, MAEHARA IS AS SMOOTH AS BUTTER, MORE TRANS CHARACTERS, Marking, Memes, Mentions of Cancer, Multi, NOW ITS JUST TENNIS, Nosebleed, Not Like That, Nothing much, Nothing serious, Other, Pick-Up Lines, Polyamory, Romeo and Juliet References, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Step-Brothers, Straddling, Swearing, THE MARIJUANA, Teen Crush, Tennis, They're already married, Threats, Threesome - F/M/M, Trans Character, Trans Male Character, Trans! Isogai, Trans! Maehara, Transphobia, Unconsciousness, Underage Kissing, Weed, Wow ok, YUUMA SWEARS LIKE A SAILOR, a lot of it, adopt me please, akaashi just sighs, bc im a nerd, bokuto is just hyper, but i like playing with fire, gakushuu is a shit, get down from there, group chats, he's such a good (boy) friend, hiroto finally feels emotion, i love maehara hiroto, id let maehara disrespect me, idk man, imagine haikyuu but tennis, it was either that or yuuma gropes hiroto, its like im 12 again, karma is a shit as well, karushuu ships it, literally everyone does, lol, maehara is surprisingly concerned, nothing - Freeform, nothing major, probably, smol cat children, so gay tennis players, soon, squad goals, tackling, techincally, that's it that's the fic, thats it thats his character, the bastards, they cheat the system, tol ginger bby is worried for tol ikemen son, well it was, what you gonna do?, yaku and lev are great, yaku is frustrated, yaku's a babe, yet - Freeform, you tall boy, yup, yuuma went full rage quit mode
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-09
Updated: 2017-01-03
Packaged: 2018-08-30 02:02:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 26,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8514388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: After being homeschooled for his life, Yuuma finally experiences high school. He quickly makes friends and even signs up for a tennis competition. But, unfortunately for him, a self proclaimed King (aka Hiroto Maehara) has also signed up for the competition.Oh and now they're doubles partners. Great[DISCONTINUED]





	1. New Kid on The Block

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> an: my sis says that maeiso and the asano's r trash. but I threw in every ship I liked and this is the result. this train wreck of a fic. please enjoy regardless :))))

 

The familiar sound of his alarm was what Yuuma woke up to. That and his step-brother cursing the entirety of humanity for how his morning was going. But that was normal. Gakushuu blamed a lot of people for a lot of things. Yuuma just wished he was maybe a bit quieter.

 

The dark haired teen propped himself up and stifled a yawn. Even though he was incredibly tired, the idea of starting his school drove him to quickly get dressed and recheck that he had everything that he needed in his bag. He felt excited as he got dressed. Yuuma had been homeschooled for his entire life. Meaning that he didn't have any _real_ close friends and that he'd never been to school. He was half nervous and half  eager about the prospect of attempting some new ones.

 

He sat in front of his mirror, admiring the newly bought school uniform; a white shirt, black and red tie, black trousers and black sneakers. Just as Yuuma was going to reach for a hairbrush, the door opened. It was Gakushuu.

 

"How do you like it?" He asked, tugging on his tie. Yuuma shrugged.

 

"I've had worse."

 

"That's what I was like. Give it a week or so, and you'll start to hate these bloody ties," Gakushuu warned, scowling as he redid his tie. "And some of the classes are rubbish. But if you remember everything I told you, you'll be fine."

 

Yuuma felt his eyebrow twitch slightly. Two weeks prior to his first day of school, Gakushuu had came into Yuuma's room and explained everything about high school from the best and worst subjects to social  tiers and what time break and lunch finished. The two had been there for at least two hours; there was no way Yuuma could remember _everything_.

 

"Is high school really that bad?" Yuuma asked.

 

"It's....alright," Gakushuu paused. "I think the worst part is the students. If anyone gives you a hard time, just come tell me and I dropkick them to the next dimension."

 

Yuuma giggled as he reached for his hairbrush again. "You're so kind," He paused. "How far away is the high school? It would suck if I was late for my first day."

 

Gakushuu rolled his eyes. "You won't be late. Dad asked me to walk you to school, until you make a friend."

 

Yuuma frowned for a brief second, trying to figure out who Dad was. He then remembered that his stepfather was Father and his real dad was Dad. 

 

His real dad, Tadaomi, had remarried another single father, who _also_ had a son, roughly 2 months ago, just as summer was about to end. Yuuma had freaked out but after seeing how happy his dad was, Yuuma decided to keep quiet about it. And to be honest, Yuuma was quiet happy that he had. Gakushuu was surprisingly  nice and Father was... _interesting_. The only downside was that having two dads was not easy. Especially when they both liked 'Hi, I'm Dad' jokes.

 

"Oh okay. Who do you walk to school with?"

 

"Just Ren," Gakushuu shrugged. "He lives in the next street over."

 

Yuuma couldn't help the smirk that grew on his face. "Your boyfriend?"

 

"Ex," Gakushuu corrected coolly before smiling softly. "We were friends before we dated, you know."

 

The 'whole' concept of dating was completely new to Yuuma. He didn't really understand how any could like anyone more than a friend. Yuuma barely liked anyone as a _friend_ , except for Gakushuu.

 

"Is it not awkward?" Yuuma tilted his head to the left, bringing up his legs to his chest.

 

"Hm? Nah, Ren's not that type of guy," Gakushuu shook his head. "And besides, he's already in another relationship."

 

"Hetero or gay?" Yuuma asked, remembering Gakushuu telling him that Ren was pansexual.

 

"...Eh...both?" Gakushuu raised an eyebrow in confusion.

 

" _Both?_ What do you mean _both?_ " Yuuma frowned and raised an eyebrow.

 

"He's got a boyfriend _and_ a girlfriend," Gakushuu scratched his scalp in thought. "I think their names were Kenzaki and Sugino..."

 

"Oh," Yuuma paused, thinking about what to say next. "That's cool."

 

The older of the two chuckled softly, smiling at his younger brother. Yuuma furrowed his eyebrows softly. "What's so funny?" Gakushuu walked over and ruffled Yuuma's hair, much to his annoyance. "You're so kind." Gakushuu half laughed as he walked out of Yuuma's room. The younger of the two shifted uncomfortably. It sounded like a compliment but Gakushuu's tone of voice said otherwise.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The two walked out the front door at 8:00 sharp. "How're you feeling?" Gakushuu asked, popping a bit of gum into his mouth.

 

"Fine," Yuuma nodded his head. "It's a bit cold but it's nothing I can't manage."

 

Gakushuu snorted. "Just wait till December rolls around. You'll be freezing."

 

"Probably," Yuuma laughed before giving Gakushuu a confused look. "Wait, you've got to go to school in winter?"

 

"Of course, idiot," Gakushuu reprehended. "Unless there's really heavy snow."

 

"Oh," The younger of the two paused. "Do they turn the heating up?"

 

Gakushuu snorted again. "I wish."

 

The two turned a corner and almost smacked right into a tall brown haired boy. His hair was all swept to one side and the rest was shaven off. His eyes lit up in recognition when he saw Gakushuu but a smirk tugged on his lips when he noticed Yuuma standing next to his friend.

 

"Ah, you didn't tell me you're seeing someone new," The boy pouted before studying Yuuma, who squirmed under the stranger's gaze. "He's a bit young, isn't he?"

 

Yuuma felt his face heat up and looked away. "Ren-" Gakushuu was speaking through gritted teeth. "This is my _younger_ step brother, Yuuma."

 

The boy's face flushed with embarrassment and his mouth made a small 'o' shape. "Since when have you had any step brothers?"

 

"Middle of summer," Gakushuu shrugged. "He remarried another single dad with a kid."

 

"Okay," Ren's face had returned to normal and the three started to walk to school. "But why is he walking  with us?"

 

"He's been homeschooled his entire life."

 

Ren's eyes lit up again as he turned to look at Yuuma. "Does that mean you got to stay in bed while you did Maths?"

 

"Uh...yeah?" Yuuma left out the fact that his dad made him wake up at 5:30am for a military inspired workout before going for a shower and sleeping till 8:30am

 

"That sounds great. Way better than sitting in a cold classroom," Ren shuddered slightly. "So, why are you starting public school now?"

 

"My dad thought I'd better start school," Yuuma blinked, as he tried to catch up with Gakushuu and Ren. Both of them were in the year above his own so there wasn't _that_ much of a difference, right? Yuuma suddenly hated being 14. "Especially since Gakushuu goes to school."

 

"Did you live here before?" Ren asked, seeming genuinely interested.

 

"No, I lived in the countryside." Yuuma shook his head.

 

"How's the big city for you?"

 

"A bit intimidating," Yuuma admitted bashfully. "I'm lost already, to be honest."

 

"I can imagine," Ren laughed. "You're in the year below us, right?"

 

"Yeah."

 

"Man that sucks. You get the antichrist." Ren rolled his eyes.

 

"Antichrist?" Yuuma frowned, turning to Gakushuu.

 

"There's this guy in your year and he's probably the biggest ass ever. He smokes, doesn't follow rules, gets into fights a lot. He calls himself 'The King'," Gakushuu used air quotes. "Stay away from him, got it?" The purple eyed boy glanced at Yuuma's chest as the other nodded his head in agreement.

 

"If he's that bad, why isn't he expelled?" Yuuma frowned.

 

"He's really good at PE. He wins all the competitions, maybe that's why they keep him," Ren glanced over at Gakushuu. "He even bet you-"

 

" _Shut it_."

 

"What's his name?"

 

"Hiroto Maehara."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Yuuma waved goodbye to Gakushuu and Ren as he headed towards his registration class. The two waved back and walked around the main building. Yuuma got out his phone and opened his photo library. He selected the picture of his timetable and scanned it.

 

His registration class was on the bottom floor, in the English department. Class 3-E. Well that didn't sound too bad. Yuuma walked towards the department (using the handy signs on the wall) and found his class with no real difficulty. Standing outside the classroom was his registration teacher, a tall scrawny black haired man. The man introduced himself as 'Korosensei' and ran Yuuma through a few basic things before leading him inside.

 

"Class! We have a new student!" Korosensei clapped his hands together excitedly as the entire class faced the front. Green, blue, purple, white, grey. Yuuma could name more odd hair colours but he chose to stare at the clock that hung at the back of the room. "This is Yuuma. He's new to the school so be nice."

 

Some giggles and whispers were heard and Yuuma's stomach churned. He prayed for this to be over quickly as Korosensei tried to find a seat for Yuuma. His (black?) eyes scanned the class before smiling and pointing to the back. A boy with ginger hair and orange toned eyes sat there, aggressively chewing gum. Not only did he have snake bites but he had a nose ring and a eyebrow piercing. He narrowed his eyes at Yuuma.

 

"You can a seat next to Hiroto."

 

Yuuma gulped as he walked towards the seat and gingerly sat down, quickly glancing at Hiroto who grunted. Yuuma inhaled and was rewarded with the sharp smell of smoke. The darker haired boy screamed internally. It was his first day at school and he was seated next to 'The King', the person that he'd been advised to avoid.

 

Shit. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> an: karma's not in class 3-e in this fic. shocker i know. where could he be?


	2. Welcome To The Jungle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> an: nagisa really likes gakushuu. like a lot.

Yuuma stared straight ahead as Korosensei took attendance. He really tried to block out Hiroto, who was chewing his watermelon flavoured gum (it reeked) even louder. He felt his hands start to shake and his breath quicken as Korosensei called his name.

 

"Asano?"

 

"H-Here!" As soon as he spoke, Yuuma started to internally scream. _My voice breaks now of all times?_ He mentally complained, hearing a few snickers and whispers. Yuuma felt Hiroto's eyes burn into his skin.

 

"Maehara?"

 

"...Here..." His voice was so deep and heavy, not like Yuuma's light and dainty voice. A small wave of envy washed over Yuuma. He wanted a voice like that but was stuck with a voice suited for a fairy.

 

Korosensei took the rest of the attendance and walked out of the class to hand it in. As soon as the door shut behind him, all eyes turned to Yuuma. He was bombarded with an array of questions.

 

"When's your birthday?"

 

"Where do you come from?"

 

"Are you really an Asano?"

 

"You look like a girl."

 

"Guys, guys, you're making the new kid nervous. Cut him some slack, the kid looks hella pale," A girl with short blonde hair smiled at Yuuma. "Yo. I'm Rio."

 

"I'm Yuuma."

 

"This might seem a little bit weird but," She leaned forward in her seat. "Are you really Gakushuu's younger brother?" Rio asked, grinning.

 

"Step brothers." Yuuma smiled gratefully at Rio, thankful that she was nice. To his left, he heard Hiroto snort.

 

"That explains why you don't look alike," A guy with baby blue hair clapped his hands together. "I'm Nagisa. Huge fan of your step brother, by the way."

 

"Uhhh, thanks?" Yuuma raised an eyebrow, not knowing how you responded to such a statement. Gakushuu had talked about the worryingly large number of love letters he receive (okay, so maybe he bragged about it) but Yuuma had no idea there was _fangirls_ of his. The look of confusion must've been strong as Rio swatted Nagisa's arm.

 

"You're creeping the new kid out, 'Gisa," Rio scolded, shaking her head in disapproval. Nagisa rolled his eyes before turning to a green haired girl. "What do you have first?"

 

"Art." Yuuma said quickly.

 

"Nice dude," She smiled again. "Teachers are shite but it's a skiv. We'll walk you up, won't we 'Gisa?" She turned to Nagisa who looked around.

 

"What?"

 

"Perfect!"

 

Rio and Yuuma continued to chat as the rest of the class got over the new kid thing. The bell ran not long after and the students stood up to leave. Yuuma was the second last out of the classroom. He could see Nagisa, Rio and the green haired girl (who introduced herself as Kaede) outside, waiting for him. Before he left, however, Hiroto cleared his throat.

 

"Yeah?" Yuuma asked, turning his head around. Hiroto smirked.

 

"Make sure you stay out of my way. I don't like it when prey start getting all high and mighty," Hiroto walked up to Yuuma, leaning in and narrowing his eyes. "Got that, new kid?"

 

Yuuma swallowed hard. "Yes." Despite being a little bit taller than Hiroto, Yuuma felt as small as a mouse.

 

Hiroto chuckled before brushing past Yuuma. "Welcome to the jungle, kid. Let's hope you can survive a week." And with that, the 'King' walked out of the classroom, sending Yuuma a glare.

 

If he didn't know Gakushuu, Yuuma would be pissing himself.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

By the time lunch rolled around, Yuuma was ready to sleep. His eyelids felt incredibly heavy as he was invited to sit down next to Rio, Nagisa, Kaede and Manami (a purple haired girl from Yuuma's Chemistry class). From across the hall, he saw Hiroto eating lunch next to an orange haired girl, a black haired boy and a red haired boy. There wasn't a single smile on any of their faces, bar the redhead who was grinning.

 

From another corner of the room Yuuma spotted Gakushuu who was sitting with his 4 other friends. Both of the Asano's exchanged thumbs up.

 

"Oi, new kid," Rio scolded sternly, making Yuuma snap his head around. "You can't fall asleep just yet. Not on your first day."

 

Yuuma gave her a weak smile. "This is exhausting. How can anyone do this?"

 

Kaede almost shot milk out of her nose. "Preach it brother."

 

"Once you get used to it, it gets a little better," Nagisa smiled. "Don't worry about it."

 

"Maybe he should worry about it. We've got prelims in December, after all," She pointed out. "But if he takes after Gakushuu in brains, he'll be fine."

 

Yuuma realised that he was being complimented and felt his cheeks heat up a little. "I wish I could be as smart as Gakushuu."

 

"You're so modest," Manami gushed as she finished her bit of pizza. "Not like your step-brother. If his head gets any bigger, he won't be able to leave the room." She crossed her arms and pouted slightly. Yuuma snorted.

 

Nagisa feigned being offended. "You're cruel."

 

"And you're not?"

 

"Touché, touché."  

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Yuuma waved goodbye to Rio and walked back to his house in silence. He'd probably bring his headphones next time. Just as he was walking through the streets, he felt his bag being pulled backwards. Scowling, Yuuma looked around and found himself with the smiling face of Gakushuu.

 

"You look incredibly happy," Yuuma commented dryly. "What happened?"

 

"Election results came back," Gakushuu flashed Yuuma a grin that reminded him of his Father. "I'm Student Council President."

 

"Of course," Yuuma rolled his eyes. "Perfect is your middle name, after all. Who's your Secretary?"

 

Gakushuu's face fell, his thin lips turning into a scowl. "This red haired guy."

 

"I think I know him. I saw him during lunch, sitting next to Hiroto." Yuuma shuddered, remembering his encounter with the King of the Jungle.

 

"His name is Karma. Fucking prick, the guy looks like me! He actually suggested we sell weed. And he didn't get in trouble!" Gakushuu seethed through gritted teeth. "And how do you know what Hiroto looks like?" The older boy asked dubiously.

 

"Uhh, well you know your advice on 'avoiding Hiroto?'. Yeah that didn't really work."

 

"What do you mean, it didn't work?" Gakushuu squinted his purple eyes.

 

"He's in my registration class. And I sit next to him," Yuuma paused to read Gakushuu's facial expression. "And then he basically told me I won't last a week in the Jungle."

 

"That's it, I'm dropkicking him." Gakushuu decided.

 

"And be revoked of your Student Council President title?" Yuuma quirked an eyebrow.

 

"I'll get Ren to dropkick him," The orange haired teen decided, smiling. "Apart from that sadistic fuck, how was your first day."

 

"Exhausting. But it was also pretty great," Yuuma smiled back. "I think I made some friends."

 

"Nice, nice. What's their names?"

 

"Rio, Nagisa, Kaede and Manami." Yuuma listed.

 

"Rio Nakamura? She's a whiz at English and Manami Okuda is great at Chemistry," Gakushuu nodded repeatedly. "I've heard of the other two but nothing really sticks out about them. You've made suitable friends. I approve."

 

Yuuma held back a laugh. "What are you, a _third_ parent?"

 

"Yes. I'm Mum-Dad. I'm like a Mum and I'm like a Dad but I'm 1000x better than both." Gakushuu boasted.

 

"So I've got three dads and one mum now?"

 

"Yes."

 

"Sweet."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Yuuma! You coming or what?" Yuuma's Dad called. The teen was just finding a suitable pair of trainers.

 

"I'm coming!" He called, quickly slipping on his shoes. He quickly picked up his tennis racket and almost ran down the stairs. His Dad smiled at him before calling out that they were leaving. "We're going now!"

 

"Bye! Dinner will be ready for when you guys get back!" His Father's voice could be heard from the kitchen. His Dad smiled and ushered Yuuma over to the car.

 

"I'm going to win today Dad," Yuuma predicted as he buckled himself into the driver's seat. "I can feel it."

 

"Oh? You think you can finally beat my streak? Dream on, son, dream on." His Dad gave him a sly look (curse the Asano's and their sly grins) and even thought it was supposed to be a challenge, Yuuma couldn't help but feel his heart swell.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Yuuma bounced the ball up and down off the court, eyeing his Dad from the other side. He bounced side to side before eventually serving, making sure the green tennis ball curve. Had his Dad not been quick, the ball would've been missed, causing Yuuma to get a point. Unfortunately, his Dad was like a cheetah, ready to pounce. Tadaomi effectively hit the ball back to Yuuma, aiming it at his face.

 

The teen had no other choice but to dodge it, swiftly moving aside as the ball bounced out. He turned to his Dad and frowned. "You play dirty. Aiming the ball at my beautiful face? Terrible parenting. I'll file for separation."

 

Okay maybe Gakushuu was rubbing off on Yuuma.

 

"Let me know how that goes," Tadaomi rolled his eyes as he approached his son. "How are you not sweating?"

 

"I'm not wearing much and besides it's freezing," Yuuma looked up his Dad, who was glistening with sweat. "And plus, a side effect of my meds negates heavy sweating."

 

"Totally forgot about that," Tadaomi admitted, laughing a little as he checked his sports watch. "We have time for one more game, if you'd like."

 

"Bring it on," Yuuma stretched, twirling the racket in his hand. "I was just getting warmed up."   

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So poor Tadaomi's lost his winning streak," Father asked, a smirk tugging on his lips. The tennis player elbowed his husband's side. "Good job, Yuuma. Now we just have to beat him at long distance running."

 

Gakushuu snorted. "Tragic," He muttered while shaking his head. Yuuma laughed at the reference. "Oh by the way Father, I was elected Student Council President again."

 

"Not like there was any competition," Gakuho commented as he cut off a bit of steak. "Is Ren still your Secretary?"

 

Gakushuu shook his head. "No. New guy this time."

 

"Shame. I like Ren," Gakuho sighed. "Oh, I haven't asked yet. Yuuma, how was your first day?" All eyes fell on the youngest family member. The dark haired teen decided to leave a few things out,

 

"It was good. I liked it more than I thought I would," Yuuma laughed. "Although I'm knackered."

 

"Oh, Yuuma," Gakushuu swallowed some food. "Forgot to mention but there's a inter school tennis competition being held in three weeks. You should enter."

 

"I can barely serve, let alone take part in a competition." Yuuma smiled, his very being shining with modesty. Tadaomi scoffed.

 

"I think you should go for it," He encouraged. "You've been playing tennis for ages. Might as well try to play it competitively."

 

Yuuma felt a blush bloom on his cheeks. "....Maybe.."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _'hey! i am proud to be a nerd!'_ \- bill nye the science guy

 

 _'i thought u were a geek?'_ \- blueberry jellybean

 

 _'aren't they the same thing??'_ \- brazil nakamura

 

 _'i know that there's a difference, i just cant remember'_ \- blueberry jellybean

 

 _'but u remember all of gakushuu's scores? very selective memory you've got'_ \- oh deer, im hella queer

 

 _'lolololol yuuma meet ur new step brother in law.'_ \- brazil nakamura

 

 _'lol hi nagisa' -_ ikemen

 

 _'i actually dont fancy the guy. im serious. i just respect him'_ \- blueberry jellybean

_'aye sure, whatever you say'_ \- oh deer, im hella queer

 

 _'he's not even that attractive??'_ \- blueberry jellybean

_'lol i'm telling him that' -_ ikemen

_'DO IT!!!'_ \- bill nye the science guy

_'NO DONT'_ \- blueberry jellybean

_'YUUMA GET BACK HERE'_ \- blueberry jellybean

 

 _'he says i need a better choice in friends. and he said he knows' -_ ikemen

_'....'_ \- blueberry jellybean

_'i can hear nagisa's heart break omg'_ \- oh deer, im hella queer*

_'i don't have a crush on him. i just admire him. you know when you have a crush on your best friend's big brother? it's like that.'_ \- blueberry jellybean

_'u just admitted you had a crush on the guy.'_ \- bill nye the science guy

_'LOLOLOLO' -_ brazil nakamura

_'check yourself before you wreck yourself' -_ ikemen

_'fcuk u all.'_ \- blueberry jellybean

_'nageesa out!'_ \- blueberry jellybean

_~Nagisa Shiota has logged off~_

_'why his name change to nageesa??'_ \- bill nye the science guy

 

 _'ah yes. my future step brother in law, nageesa shorter'_ \- ikemen

 

Just as Yuuma was about to read Rio's reply, his bedroom door opened. It was Gakushuu. "Hey." He greeted, sitting down on Yuuma's bed.

 

"Hey," Yuuma yawned. "What's up?"

 

"It's about the tennis competition thing.." Gakushuu trailed off, twirling his thumbs.

 

"Look about that-"

 

"I only suggested it because that's Hiroto's main sport. He's unbeatable," Gakushuu paused. "If you managed to beat him at his own game, he'd be a laughing stock."

 

"I don't want his crown, if that's what you're talking about," Yuuma shook his head. "And if he's that good, then there's no way I can beat him. Not with this," The teen motioned to his chest area. "happening."

 

"You beat Dad, right? Hiroto's nothing compared to you," Gakushuu complimented. "I can't wait till you win. Just imagine. King Yuuma! Ruler of Kunugigaoka."

 

"I already told you, I don't want his crown," Yuuma shook his head. "You might as well have it. That's if I manage to beat him."

 

"So..you're going to take on a lion? Correction: _the_ lion?" The orange haired boy raised an eyebrow.

 

"Yeah, I guess," Yuuma paused. "Has a rabbit ever won against a lion?"

 

"Well..no..," Gakushuu admitted. "But there's a first time for everything."

 

"I guess you're right," The golden eyed boy shrugged. "I guess this rabbit's going have to grow some claws."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> an: why this sound like sport anime?? isogai doesn't take complements


	3. Taking A Walk On The Kinky Side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> hiroto and yuuma are kinky lil shits.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> an: lol no one's really picked up on the lil details about Yuuma. also i posted another chapter of clue. it's a good one so make sure to go read.

 

The next day, Yuuma signed up for the tennis competition. And it was not until PE, which was 5th period, that Hiroto finally noticed. Yuuma, Rio and Nagisa were collecting some coloured bibs when the ginger haired thug approached the three. "New kid." He grunted. Yuuma looked up, eyes wide before a sudden sharp but cold pain erupted in his back. The dark haired teen glanced at the wide eyes of Nagisa and Rio and then focused his gaze on Hiroto. Yuuma realised that he'd been shoved against the wall, with Hiroto placing either hand on either side of Yuuma's head.

 

"Hiroto," Yuuma said coolly, watching as the other boy tensed with the use of his name. "Let me go."

 

The ginger's eyebrow twitched in annoyance as he leaned in closer, his nose brushing against Yuuma's. He watched as Rio took a photo, a mouth muffling her laughs. Yuuma pressed further against the wall. Obviously, this guy didn't know the meaning of personal space. "I'm sorry, the fuck did you just say?" He leered.

 

"I said," Yuuma rolled his eyes. "Let me go."

 

Hiroto chuckled darkly. "Didn't I tell you yesterday that I don't like unbearable, cheeky fuckers changing the way nature works?"

 

Yuuma didn't say anything, only giving a small curt nod. Gakushuu's advice of 'don't be scared. even if you are scared, don't show it' flooded Yuuma's head.

 

"So why the fuck is your name on the tennis competition sign up?"

 

"Because I play tennis. And I'm decent at it." Yuuma narrowed his eyes, trying to copy the trademarked Asano glare. 

 

 "Tennis is _my_ sport," Hiroto growled. "So you should drop out. Unless you want to be humiliated in front of the entire school."

 

Yuuma focused every ounce of sarcasm in his body and half spat, "Stay in your lane," Before shrugging off Hiroto's arms and walking past the crowd of awe stricken that seemed to have gathered. They spilt like the Red Sea, making way for Yuuma. He was about to walk away but Yuuma can't help turning around, grinning at the sight of Hiroto's angered face. " _Bitch._ "

 

Yuuma slowly became talk of the school.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When Yuuma got home, he headed straight towards his bedroom and fell down on his bed, face first. He had been sent a video of his confrontation with Hiroto as well as 3 pictures and even a fanfiction (Yuuma refused to read it). He re-watched the video over and over until it was time to dinner.

 

Hiroto had been awfully close to him, so close that Yuuma could smell the ash from his clothing. He repeatedly told himself that he didn't like it, that he didn't like Hiroto. But as Yuuma walked into registration the next day and saw the ginger haired boy (who didn't look too happy to see Yuuma but regardless), Yuuma felt a light fluttering sensation in his stomach. The dark haired teen kept his eyes trained on the ground for the rest of registration.

 

Okay, maybe he liked Hiroto. Just a little bit.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Yuuma was convinced that he liked Hiroto when he walked past the boy's changing rooms. The door was closing slowly and through the tiny crack in the door, Yuuma could faintly see Hiroto's abs, or the ghosts of them. As much as Yuuma hated to admit it, he was certainly attractive for a 14 year old. Sharp eyes, fluffy looking hair and not lanky; he would've been perfect had it not been for the piercings, smoking and you know, _attitude_. Regardless of how much of an asshole Hiroto was. Yuuma's face had still heated up and he walked away from the door, saving himself from anymore embarrassment.

 

That night, Yuuma lay awake in his bed. A hand slid to his lower stomach and pressed lightly on it. He always hated the way it protruded. Even after working out a lot, the small patch of fat remained.

 

"Whatever," Yuuma mumbled to himself. "The shorts cover it anyways."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Gakushuu?" Yuuma asked meekly as he closed his Maths jotter. As good Gakushuu was a teacher, Yuuma couldn't focus. Something or _someone_ was tugging at the back of his head. His step brother looked up from the textbook.

 

"Yeah?"

 

"I...uh...," Yuuma nibbled on his bottom lip. "I don't think I like girls anymore."

 

Gakushuu blinked before smiling softly. "Oh cool," He paused. "Who's changed your mind?"

 

"No one," Yuuma said quickly, his face flushing pink. "I just, well, don't like girls."

 

"Sounds like you've got a crush," Gakushuu smirked, closing the textbook. "Spill."

 

"I don't have a crush."

 

"Come on Yuuma. I'm your big brother! You can trust me!"

 

"You've also got a sharp tongue and a loose jaw," Yuuma pointed. "The next issue of the school's newspaper probably contains some of your favourite ships."

 

"That's next week's issue," Gakushuu clicked his tongue. "There's a section about us in it."

 

"And you allowed that?" Yuuma asked, eyes bulging out of their sockets.

 

"I like being the star." Gakushuu flicked some of his neatly kept hair over his shoulder, unaware that Yuuma was recording him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The competition was in a week's time. And Yuuma had been practicing relentlessly at the tennis court in town. He'd either play with his Dad or Gakushuu, maybe even a stranger if Yuuma needed someone new to play against. Against his Dad, it was competitive but in the laid back kind of way. His Dad was old and Yuuma was not. If the younger of two played tricky shots, the match would normally go to him.

 

Playing against Gakushuu was a completely different story. Despite Gakushuu's talent in football (the Star Striker, Nagisa had told him) he was agile as a cat when it came to tennis. Always on his feet, Gakushuu would return any hit and return it twice as hard. He was almost unbeatable. _Almost_.

 

But as Yuuma stood next to Hiroto, who glaring at him venomously, he wondered if he could actually beat the self proclaimed King. "We normally only get Hiroto playing so I'm glad you signed up!" The teacher exclaimed happily.

 

"..Uh yeah.." Yuuma smiled weakly, hearing Hiroto grunt beside him.

 

"The competition is soon, as you know. If it's not too much bother, could you guys give up your lunch time and come practice?"

 

Hiroto smiled lopsidedly. "No problem, sir. _We'll_ do just fine."

 

That definitely didn't sound good.

 

The teacher smiled before walking out of the hall, leaving Yuuma and Hiroto alone. The darker haired teen swallowed hard and quickly scurried to get a racket and ball. There was a court set up but there was no way in hell Yuuma was playing with Hiroto. As he struggled to move one of the poles, Hiroto walked past him and collected a racket.

 

"You need two people to play tennis," He commented dryly, walking towards the only court available. "For an Asano, you're quite dumb."

 

Yuuma ignored the remark and picked up his racket and ball before walking down the hall, where Hiroto was waiting. "How long you been playing?"

 

"7 years," Yuuma replied. "What about yourself?"

 

"Since I could walk," Hiroto's voice was calm. Despite the relaxed atmosphere, both knew the other hated them. "I'm serving first."

 

"Whatever." Yuuma mumbled under his breath, throwing the ball over the net with a weak under arm throw.

 

Hiroto squeezed the ball between in his palm before hitting it off the ground. Before Yuuma could watch him serve, he'd been knocked off his feet and had landed on the hard floor. He groaned in pain and heard the tennis ball hit off the wall behind him. He shot a cold glare at Hiroto, who snorted.

 

"Right at my stomach too," Yuuma complained to himself as he got up. "That bastard. He doesn't even want to practice! He just wants to hurt me. Cheeky bugger. Two can play at that game."

 

"What's the matter, new kid? Did I catch you off guard?" Hiroto taunted, his tone of voice changing from uncaring to daunting. His eyebrows were raised, his piercing still in. Yuuma smirked as he picked up the ball. He was truly an Asano.

 

Yuuma threw the ball up in the air and struck it as it came back, aiming it at Hiroto's left eye. It hit hard, causing a weird slap sound to be heard. The ball rolled slowly off the ground as Hiroto slapped a hand up to his eye, wincing in pain. " _What's the matter, tough guy? Did I catch you off guard?_ " Yuuma mocked, copying Gakushuu's tone of voice.

 

The ginger haired student growled, lowering his hand. A large bruise was already forming and his piercing had been forcefully turned to the side. It looked sore. Hiroto picked up the ball and quickly served it. Yuuma swiftly dodged it, the smirk growing on his face as he did. The game (could you really even call it that) quickly turned into 'who could inflict the most pain onto the other?' which sounded like a sadist/masochist type of thing. Which it definitely wasn't. No way.  

 

And it was all fun and games (Yuuma swore he wasn't into that type of stuff) until Yuuma had aimed a shot at the inside of Hiroto's thigh, causing the boy to gasp out in pain. A glint of malice shone in Gakushuu's eyes as he served the ball again, aiming at the side of Yuuma's chest. Yuuma felt his body get knocked back a bit before bending over and clutching his heart. Man, that fucking hurt. Yuuma's breathing hitched as he swallowed hard for the millionth time that day. The dark haired teen stumbled a little before almost falling to the floor. His vision spun as he was met with the grinning face of Hiroto.

 

"Never heard of an asthmatic athlete," He bared his pearly white teeth (they probably should've been yellow, from the amount of smoke Yuuma could smell) as Yuuma moved away from him, clearly injured and pissed off. "Maybe tennis isn't your thing," The ginger paused, tapping a finger off his cheek. "I heard the sewing club still accepting members."

 

Yuuma staggered out of the hall, ignoring the boy's cruel laughter.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"You look rough," Kaede commented, leaning back in her chair as she stifled a yawn. "There's a bruises on your hand." She pointed to the back of Yuuma's hand.

 

"Yeah," Yuuma smiled sheepishly, eternally grateful for Hiroto's absence. "I was practicing yesterday. I guess I got a little carried away."

 

"A little in an understatement," She frowned softly, sticking out her bottom lip. "There's loads on your arms!" She circled the large brown bruises that littered Yuuma's skin. "Is someone hurting you at home?"

 

"Eh? No!" Yuuma laughed.

 

"Jesus, dude," Rio, being the gossip magnet she was, turned around in her chair. "The fuck played against you."

 

"..Hiroto.." Yuuma gently motioned to the empty seat beside him. Rio almost choked on her own spit.

 

"Is that what the thing in PE was about?"

 

"Yeah..we _tried_ practiced last night but we just ended up aiming at each other." Yuuma smiled meekly.  

 

"Does he have ugly bruises over him?" Rio asked in a hushed whisper.

 

"I managed to hit his eye."

 

"You're a legend," Nagisa gushed, clearly interested in the conversation. "Maybe you're even better than your brother," He gasped, eyes sparkling with admiration. Yuuma shuddered in his seat. "Nah. Gakushuu's still the better Asano. You're cool though."

 

Yuuma rolled his eyes. "I think you have an Asano kink."

 

"Don't read me like that."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hiroto came into school during 6 period, English. He looked fine, bar a little tired and down. Oh and the black eye he'd received. The ginger took his seat, sending Yuuma a cold look. Yuuma pretended not to notice as he took some more notes.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Yuuma tied his laces and stretched. He'd jogged down to the public tennis courts and quickly changed out of his normal clothes into a t-shirt and a tennis skirt. (which was ungodly comfortable). He bounced the ball off the floor before hitting it against the wall. He played against gravity, changing from serves and bounces.

 

After a while, that got boring so Yuuma resorted to hitting the ball gently in front of him. Maybe hitting his only tennis partner in the eye wasn't a good idea. Yuuma yawned, letting the ball roll away. He'd messed up this time.  "Good job, Yuuma." He muttered under his breath.

 

"Never knew Gakushuu's younger brother was such a kinky fucker," A voice commented. Yuuma looked up, squinting his eyes a little at the figure looming over him. _Hiroto_. "Firstly, pain and receiving pain shit and now a skirt?" Hiroto's face looked worse closer up. His eyebrow piercing had been removed and there was tiny little cuts to the side of his cheek. Yuuma felt a small twang of guilt but it was soon replaced with pride. Weak little Yuuma Asano had done that to the King, an achievement anyone would be proud of.

 

"Never knew you were such a nosy prick." Yuuma retorted lazily, not wanting to pick another fight. His Dad had already yelled at him for getting into a non physical but yet physical tennis match. Yuuma hadn't mentioned the chest incident, in case he got in more trouble.

 

Hiroto scoffed. "The cat's got claws," He chuckled, picking up the stray tennis ball. "I'm not looking for a fight."

 

Yuuma quirked an eyebrow. Not only was Hiroto actually being kind of nice, but he didn't seem to care about his injuries. At all. _"Maybe he's into that shit_." Yuuma thought. "You're actually showing some kind of respect for me, something's up."

 

Hiroto snickered, pointing at the little cuts on his face. "You managed to wreck my eyelid. I'll show _some_ respect for you. Some. Doesn't mean we're friends," A cold look gleamed in Hiroto's eyes as he threw the ball and caught it. "And plus, it'd be mean if I wasn't nice. With the news and all."

 

Yuuma blinked confusedly. "News? What news?"

 

Hiroto's mouth made a small 'o' shape before grinning. "You haven't heard? Your step-brother's dating my cousin."


	4. Gakushuu: Yuuma's Third Parent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> gakushuu is A proud mother of one  
> yuuma doesn't need any more parents  
> hiroto is like that weird/awesome cousin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> an: lol this story is going in every single direction. let's just focus on maeiso and tennis for now. gay sports anime for the win! ALSO AS I WROTE THIS, MY BOTTOM LIP STARTED TO SWELL AND NOW IT'S LIKE 3 TIMES BIGGER THAN USUAL. I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED. IS THIS PUNISHMENT FOR WRITING SO MUCH ANGST

 

"Karma isn't your cousin," Yuuma narrowed his eyes in disbelief as he crossed his arms. "You don't  even have the same last name. Not to mention you look nothing alike."

 

"He's from my mother's side," Hiroto explained calmly, an unexpected  change in character for the delinquent. "Kinda cool, right?"

 

"There's no way Gakushuu would even date your cousin. I know about his past," Yuuma turned up his nose as he got to his feet, flattening his skirt. "Simply put, Gakushuu has standards." That was true. Gakushuu didn't drink coffee (It gives me bad breath, he had told Yuuma) and only drank tea if it was green tea and he needed Moroccan oil shampoo if he wanted to wash his hair. 

 

Put it simply, Gakushuu wouldn't date Karma, a drug addict related to the source of all misery in the world/

 

"Hey, now. I could've came down here and been all mean and shit but I never and this is my reward?" The ginger raised an eyebrow, the serious look back in his eyes. Yuuma rolled his eyes, ignoring the snarky retort his brain thought of. He checked his watch and almost choked when he saw the time. It was far too late.

 

"I don't have time for this," Yuuma tutted. "I'm going home. See you tomorrow."

 

Before he could leave, however, a hand shot out and wrapped itself around his wrist. Yuuma turned around, an acidic look in his eyes. "Let. Me. Go."

 

"Listen here and listen closely because I'm not going to repeat anything," Hiroto had tugged on his wrist and slammed Yuuma against the fence. _Close proximity, greeeaaat._ "I like winning. I really, really like winning. And while I might be able to win in singles, I've never won in doubles because I've never had a partner," Hiroto spat. "So we're going to have to practice because there is no way in Hell that I'm leaving that competition without both a singles trophy and a doubles trophy."

 

Yuuma blinked, not exactly fazed. "...Then we'll practice tomorrow."

 

"But you've haven't practiced properly all day today. Your form will start to get slow and laggy and then you'll be a burden," Hiroto squinted his eyes. "I don't like burdens. Not at all."

 

Yuuma felt his breath hitch before he shook his head. "Fine. One game and then I go."

 

"Sure, sure, sure," Hiroto waved a hand dismissively as he realised Yuuma and walked over to get his racket and a ball. "This time we'll play properly. Not that I didn't enjoy our...fight.."

 

 _"Okay so he is into that shit."_ Yuuma screeched internally as he followed the ginger, picking up his racket as the two walked over to a net. Hiroto bounced the tennis ball of the ground before throwing it up and serving. The ball came at Yuuma incredibly fast and he almost didn't hit it in time. Thankfully, he did and he hit the ball back, curving it slightly.

 

Hiroto tried to hit the ball back, sprinting near the guide lines. The ball, however, bounced in and then out before Hiroto could hit it back. The ginger watched the ball hit the fence and roll slowly towards his feet. At first, Yuuma feared for his life. _"Fuck, he's pissed. Fuck, he's pissed. Fuck, he's pissed."_

 

But the ginger turned around, a content look in his eyes and the faintest of smiles tugging on his lips. He shook his head and got rid of the smile. "Not bad, new kid. Not bad at all," He bounced the ball again. "Guess I shouldn't be holding back on you, huh?"

 

Yuuma hummed in agreement as Hiroto threw the ball up and served. It flew past Yuuma before he had a chance to react. It bounced off the fence and gently hit off Yuuma's back. He bent down to pick it up and noticed the smirk on Hiroto's face. "I can see why you're undefeated." Yuuma commented dryly.

 

Hiroto just chuckled.

 

They continued to play until it reached 22:00, the time the centre closed. Yuuma glanced up at the sky as he returned his racket. It was pitch black. Fuck. He was going to get in shit for this.

 

"YUUMA!" A voice shouted loudly, accompanied by the sound of running. Both Yuuma and Hiroto turned around to see Gakushuu sprinting, the dirtiest look on his face. The older boy slid to a halt and bent over panting.

 

"Oh, Student Council President. Awesome to finally meet you," Hiroto tilted his head to the side, a uncharacteristic smile plastered on his face. "Your baby brother plays good." The King slapped Yuuma's back hard. The brunette pretended that it didn't hurt.

 

Yuuma had never seen someone look up so quickly, purple eyes burning with rage. "We thought you were dead and you were playing tennis with _this guy?_ " Gakushuu growled. Yuuma waved his hands dismissively, sweat running down his face.

 

"I-I, uh, you know, lost track of time." Yuuma admitted, shuffling a little. He had forgotten how scary Gakushuu was. Purple eyes darted from Hiroto to the skirt Yuuma was wearing. Gakushuu scowled, grabbing a hold of Yuuma's wrist.

 

"It's late." He muttered, dragging the boy in the skirt away, leaving a grinning Hiroto behind.

 

Gakushuu didn't say anything until the sport centre was out of sight. "Did he say anything to you?" The older boy seethed through gritted teeth.

 

"He said I was kinky, that's all," Yuuma shrugged, prying Gakushuu's fingers off his wrist. "We didn't do anything apart from play tennis."

 

"I thought I told you to stay away from _him_." Gakushuu hissed in an overprotective tone.

 

"Well, life doesn't always go according to plan. I'm going to start playing doubles with him," Yuuma informed, ignoring the glare that Gakushuu shot him. If Yuuma didn't have a crush on Hiroto, then he wouldn't even think about playing doubles with the smoker. But Yuuma's heart was bigger than his mind. "It's nothing, really."

 

"Like Hell's it's nothing!" Gakushuu exclaimed. "You're gonna end up hurt, Yuuma!"

 

"In my opinion, I think it's quite minor compared to you and, what's his name, _Karma_?" Yuuma raised his eyebrows, an accusing look in his eyes. Gakushuu's face went pink and he looked away.

 

"H-How do you k-know about... _us_." He stammered, eyes wide with shock.

 

"Hiroto," Yuuma narrowed his eyes. "When were you planning on telling me?"

 

"We just started dating, like, yesterday...." Gakushuu looked away from his younger brother as they crossed the street.

 

"I thought you _hated_ the guy! And now you're dating him?" Yuuma shook his head in disapproval. "You're such a tsundere, Gakushuu."

 

"Well, I did hate him. And he hates me," Gakushuu explained, coughing slightly. "But he's good looking. And I guess his personality is... _okay_.." The orange haired boy trailed off.

 

"Tsundere! Tsundere!" Yuuma chanted quietly, poking Gakushuu's cheek. The other slapped Yuuma's hand.

 

"Cut it out," Gakushuu ordered strictly. "You're supposed to be in trouble, right?"

 

Yuuma sighed at Gakushuu's tone of voice. "...Right..."

 

"First, you get in a tennis _fight_ , not match, _fight,_ and you somehow get bruises _everywhere_. And _then,_ you stay out till _22:00_ playing _tennis_ with the guy you 'fought' yesterday!" Gakushuu paused. "You've been at that school for, what, a week and a half? And you've already picked a fight, _won a_ fight, made it into the newspaper and became talk of the school. Please, Yuuma, calm down! You've still got three years to experience everything!"

 

"Hiroto's fine. I mean, he's not fine, but I can handle him. I'm strong." Yuuma reassured, resting a hand on Gakushuu's shoulder. The orange haired boy smiled a little.

 

"I know you are. I'm not saying you're not. It's just," Gakushuu dropped his smile. "Hiroto Maehara is an ocean; not even the most skilled divers  know what's at the bottom."

 

It sounded like  warning but it was worded....weirdly. "Gakushuu, you know I'm bad at English." Yuuma reminded, sweating dropping.

 

"Basically, be careful. I doubt Karma knows what Hiroto's think about half the time. He's far from clever in an academic way. But there's a certain way his brain works that probably trumps my own," Yuuma ignored Gakushuu stroking his ego. "I can't put my finger on it. But I know it's something bad."

 

"Okay.....?" Yuuma raised an eyebrow in confusion.

 

 Gakushuu sighed, realising that Yuuma wasn't getting the message. "The higher you climb, the harder you fall. Remember that, Yuuma."

 

Yuuma blinked slowly before nodding his head. The two continued to walk home in awkward silence, with Yuuma glancing at Gakushuu out of the corner of his eye. Neither of them spoke until they reached the front door of their house. Before Yuuma could reach for the handle, Gakushuu grabbed his wrist. Yuuma looked up, a small pout on his face.

 

"I'm not angry at you," Gakushuu explained. "Just concerned."

 

The brunette shrugged nonchalantly. "I know."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Yuuma sat on his bed, towel drying his hair. He sat, naked, on his bed as he slowly dried his hair. He frowned as he took in his reflection. Too many curves, too many 'feminine' features, too many boobs.  Yuuma sighed as he set down the towel.

 

Dysphoria was a bitch.

 

He reached over to his bedside table and reached for the small bottle labelled 'testosterone' as well as the needle sitting next to it. He opened the bottle and stuck the needle in, slowly tugging on it until it reached the 20 mark before he removed the needle and shook it gently. He ran a hand over his thigh until he found the spot he was looking for. Yuuma lined up the needle and gently pressed against his skin, the needle sliding in slowly and painfully.

 

He slowly began to insert the medicine and gripped his knee tight. Eventually, the testosterone was all gone and Yuuma sighed as he took the needle back out. The pain of the needle would never go away, he knew that. The sharp stinginess of the medicine would stay with him forever. But he could live with it.

 

He could live with the binder pains and the testosterone. He could live with 'potentially' having boobs and a vagina for the rest of his life. He manage it.

 

What he couldn't manage, however, was the nightmares that taunted him, the sharp and stingy insults that would be thrown his way, the _looks_ he was given. Random people, _strangers_ , who said he shouldn't be allowed to live, that he should be stoned to death, that deserved to die. That hurt. That really hurt.

 

It hurt being constantly erased, being told that he lived in a world that didn't acknowledge him. It hurt being called such horrible names that he couldn't dare repeat. It hurt being followed by a large, disgusting creature called Dysphoria that reminded him of everything wrong with his body.  

 

It hurt not being born Yuuma. It hurt being born Yukiko instead.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> an: trans! isogai gives me life. also yukiko means happiness or snow. (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧ ✧ﾟ･: *ヽ(◕ヮ◕ヽ)


	5. The True King

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> an: this has turned into a tennis fic. i dont even play tennis fUCK. haikyuu got me feeling some kind of way. nagisa and isogai brotp?? yes?? also spot how british i am.

 

"I've decided," Nagisa stopped eating his crisps and paused, wiping at the corner of his mouth. "November's the worst month."

 

"And why's that?" Rio asked, raising her eyebrow in amusement.

 

"Because it's cold. And wet," Nagisa shivered. "And there's no holidays apart from the weekend," The bluette actually sounded disheartened. "November is like December's awkward younger brother. He tries really hard to be December, but never succeeds."

 

"Don't make me feel _sorry_ for _months_." Kaede groaned in annoyance, lightly hitting her head off the wall.

 

Yuuma chuckled, taking a sip of water. It was _finally_ November 1st, which meant it was less than a fortnight until his birthday. Being 15 was right around the corner. "It's only two months away to Gakushuu's birthday." Yuuma commented, in hopes for Nagisa to cheer up a little.

 

The blue haired boy sat up straight, eyes wide and mouth agape. "Really? Gakushuu's birthday is on New Year's Day?"

 

"Yeah."

 

"A special birthday!"Nagisa gushed, his cheeks going pink. "Man, he's so cool," He grinned, closing his eyes and slowly falling further into fanboy hell, before he quickly opened them again. "Oh, Yuuma. I forgot to ask, when's your birthday?"

 

The brunet felt his face heat up a little. "Oh, it's the 13th of November."

 

"WAIT HANG ON," Rio banged her fist. "Were you just not gonna tell us about that? It's only, like, 12 days to go!"

 

"Y-Yeah.." Yuuma smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

 

A shit eating grin slowly tugged on Kaede's lips, her eyes narrowing. "Your parents got hella freaky for Valentine's Day..." The green haired girl pointed out. "Were you born a day early?"

 

Yuuma's face heated up even more. "Uh, I think so."

 

Kaede made a whistling sound. "Looks like your parents banged on Valentine's Day....nice, dude."

 

Yuuma pretended to be sick, furrowing his eyebrows at the thought. "Gross!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Just before the bell went for lunch, Nagisa made his way over to Yuuma. "Yuuma, are you coming to Morrison's?" Nagisa asked as he zipped up his jacket. Yuuma shook his head.

 

"Nah, I've got practice," He quickly shoved a hand into his pocket and brought out a pound coin. "But can you get me a bottle of lemon and lime flavoured water?"

 

Nagisa took the pound from him, his eyebrow raised dubiously. "Are you sure?"

 

Yuuma quickly realised that Nagisa wasn't talking about the water. The brunet nodded his head. "Yeah. Thanks."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The King sighed, for what seemed the 1000th time that day. He shook his head at Yuuma. "Your stance is off," Hiroto chastised, walking over to Yuuma and pointed at his back. "You're slumping....Again."

 

Yuuma frowned softly. "Does it really matter?" He asked, straightening his back. 

 

Hiroto scoffed. "If your stance is wrong, you might not be able to hit a shot back. And that could cost you the game," The ginger explained, throwing the ball up in the air and catching it. "So yeah. It does matter."

 

Before Yuuma could apologise, the gym doors opened and Nagisa, Rio, Kaede and Manami appeared. Nagisa waved at Yuuma, a bottle of flavoured water in his hand. Hiroto grunted and looked away as Yuuma jogged over to his friends. "Thank you!" He smiled warmly at Nagisa who handed him the water and his change.

 

"No problem," Nagisa waved a hand dismissively. "You look kinda pissed off." The bluenette commented, pouting slightly.

 

Yuuma chuckled, wiping the frown off his face. "It's just strenuous, that's all."

 

"How's the King?" Kaede whispered. Yuuma glanced at Hiroto, who'd visibly tensed up, before focusing his attention on his friends again.

 

"He's, uh, as usual, I guess?" Yuuma laughed a little. "I don't really know him all that way. After all, I'm just a servant in his kingdom." The brunet joked.

 

Rio leaned in closer, a sly grin on her face. "Can you hit him in the eye again?"

 

"Oh, we're not doing that anymore. We're, uh, you know, _trying_ to actually practice," Yuuma explained, noticing the aura Hiroto was giving off. "I better get back. Thanks for the water." He thanked Nagisa again.

 

"No problem! See you in Chemistry!"

 

Yuuma sighed softy to himself as he walked back to the bottom court, checking his phone. There was still 15 minutes until lunch ended. Time for a quick game. The brunet opened the bottle of water and took a sip, trying really hard to ignore the death stares Hiroto was given him.

 

The two started up a game in awkward silence, a stern look on both of their faces. Yuuma swore under his breath. "He must've heard Kaede.." He muttered, collecting the ball after he missed a hit. The brunet sighed and served the ball back.

 

The game ended 5 minutes before lunch ended. Yuuma watched as Hiroto helped to untie the net. The ginger didn't look angry but he wasn't happy either. He looked a little... _hurt_ , with his eyes trained on the ground.

 

It was only when they were dragging the poles away did Hiroto speak. "I didn't give myself that nickname..." He muttered, his eyes cold.

 

Yuuma furrowed his eyebrows softly. "....What?"

 

"The whole King bullshit. I didn't give myself it," Hiroto repeated. "It just kinda caught on, you know?"  


Yuuma blinked. _Is that why he looks so upset? Because of a stupid nickname that he STILL_ "But you still call yourself it." He pointed out.

 

"When I was 12, yeah,"  Hiroto grumbled. "I just, well, don't like being called it anymore."

 

"....And why are you telling me this?" The brunet raised an eyebrow.

 

"Just don't call me the King," The ginger summarised before walking out of the gym. "New kid."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Who pissed in his cereal?" Yuuma muttered to himself as he walked by himself to Chemistry. The ginger seemed so...on edge at his comment. "I didn't even know he heard it."

 

Yuuma kicked his leg and looked down at the ground in surprise when he heard something slide. A small, almost nonexistent  Ziploc bag sat in front of his feet. It was filled with a fine, greenish brownish powder. Frowning, the brunet bent down and picked up the bag, shaking it slightly.

 

"It looks like herbs," Yuuma commented as he opened the bag, sniffing. They smelt of nothing. "But scentless herbs? Maybe they've been imported?"

 

The brunet decided to pocket the bag and inspect it closer at a later date.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Yuuma trudged over to the sports centre and quickly got changed into _shorts_ (last time was more than mortifying) and a t-shirt. Before he even started to stretch, Hiroto past him, his ginger eyes focused on Yuuma's thighs.

 

"You take crack?" He asked, an eyebrow raised in confusion.

 

Yuuma poked the red spots on his thighs, his face burning. "Uhhhh...." He trailed off. Much to the brunet's dismay, Hiroto smirked in surprise and held up his hand for a high five.

 

"Nice new kid! Didn't think you were like that!" He congratulated Yuuma, who's face heated up even more.

 

"N-No! It's n-not like t-that..."

 

"Heroin?"

 

"No!" Yuuma quickly shook his head.

 

The ginger's eyes sparkled, interest burning in them. "Is it something new? Who's your dealer? Do you think you'd be able to get me a sample?"

 

"No! I mean, I don't take anything!"

 

Hiroto paused, before tilting his head in confusion. "Then what are the marks for?"

 

"T-Them? Just, uh, spots." Yuuma lied coolly.

 

"Oh. It's just spots," Hiroto looked deflated, his shoulders slacking. "And here I was thinking you were _slightly_ cool.....Well, you're here at least. Might as well play a game." He said with a shrug.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"The competition is two days away," Hiroto panted, his hands on his knees. "Of course, it's just a inter-school competition. But if we win that, we can go to Regional's. And if we win that as well, we have the chance to go to Nationals."

 

Yuuma took of water, wiping his mouth. "Haven't you won before? Why haven't you gone to Regional's? Or National's?"

 

"I have been to National's but only once," Hiroto held up his index finger. "Regional's are always the end for me. The competition there....it's crazy. The players there have been bred for success....But I think we'll be okay this year."

 

"Jeez, that sounds rough," Yuuma sighed. "What makes you think this year will be easier?"

 

"Most players play singles because they don't have to rely on others. They don't talk much, meaning the inside of their head's are whirring with strategies and thoughts. They analyze your play style before you can get 5 points in. It's brutal and kinda unpleasant,"  Hiroto explained. "But in doubles, it's more about teamwork. The person you play with is crucial to victory. You have to understand each other's play styles, speed, serves."

 

"I've only been at this school for just under a month. I hardly even know you," Yuuma stated blandly. "If you think we have a chance in doubles, I think you should reconsider."

 

"While that is true, the inter-high competition is easy. We're at the top of our year group. Every sign points to us winning. Meaning it's a 99.9% success rate," Hiroto jabbed at his chest. "It'll be a good chance for us, as double partners, to understand what the other likes."

 

"So we're banking on sheer luck that our brains sync with one another?" Yuuma raised an eyebrow dubiously.

 

"Basically. But," Hiroto closed his eyes before opening them, a fire burning in them. "I'm a lucky guy."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Yuuma started to get changed, taking off his shorts first and folding them as he wiggled into his sweatpants. He took off his top and glanced at his reflection. The binder did a marvellous job of hiding the fact that he had tits. Albeit, it hurt, with large red marks just below his armpits. Yuuma sighed, obviously to the fact that the changing room door had opened.

 

"No wonder you're slouching." Hiroto commented dryly, kicking off his shoes as he opened his locker.

 

Yuuma quickly turned around, hands flying up to his chest as his face flushed pink. _Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. FUCK! He saw me! HE SAW ME! Oh God, who is he gonna tell? I'm gonna become the laugh of the school!_

Hiroto noticed the boy's scared expression and frowned. "What? Your binder. It's too small. How long have you had it?"

 

The brunet widened his eyes. That was definitely not the reaction he was expecting. "I-I, uuh.....w-what?" He stuttered. Hiroto sighed, rubbing his temples.

 

"You're oblivious, you know that? I just asked you how long you've had your binder, dumbass." The ginger rolled his honey coloured eyes as he took off his shorts.

 

The brunet swallowed hard, realising that he had to answer. "S-Since January." Yuuma eventually replied.

 

"Get a new one. It stinks and you'll hurt yourself." Hiroto advised, turning around as he took of his top.

 

"H-How do you k-know what a b-binder is?" Yuuma quickly dressed into his other clothes, still guarding his chest with his arms. Hiroto grunted something that sounded like 'for Christ's sake' before he spun around.

 

Any other time, Yuuma would've focused on Hiroto's abs. But the faint, almost invisible scars sat under his nipples caught Yuuma's attention instead.

 

"I used to have one, idiot."


	6. The Two Black Cats Of Nekoma

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> isogai yuuma has a filthy mouth, p a s s i t o n

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> an: a wave of bitterness and saltiness just overtook me because i remembered how aggressively heterosexual ass class is. like?? gay?? on OUR show?? no, what?? get that away?? 100% straight yup that's E Class. karushuu? is that a shop? maeiso? lame fish name. Okayano? fuckin weaboo. (jokes aside, consider this: maeiso being canon) ALSO FROM LAST TIME ON CLUE: lol forgot to mention but wbu a soul eater au (even though A is winning)

 

"Y-You're trans?" Yuuma spluttered, eyes widening in disbelief.

 

Hiroto frowned and glanced around "Uh...yeah? God, you really are oblivious, aren't you?"

 

"A-And you've got the top surgery! You have to 16 for that!" Yuuma exclaimed, quickly gathering his clothes.

 

"I'd been wearing my binder for around a week when I found a small lump in my breasts. I went to the doctors and it turns out it was some form of cancer. they said it was best to remove them before it developed," The ginger shrugged, leaning against his locker. "I'm guessing you're on testosterone." 

 

Yuuma nodded. "Uh, y-yeah. Do you still take it?"

 

"Naturally," Hiroto rolled his eyes as he took out his phone and checked the time. Grunting softly, he shoved his clothes into his sports bag. "C'mon. We can talk more while we're walking."

 

"R-Right."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hiroto lived a few streets away from Yuuma but in order to get there, they would have to take a detour through the local park. _It's a miracle the park is even open at this hour_ , Yuuma thought as they passed the main gate.

 

Yuuma swallowed hard as he tried to think of something to say. _Make conversation. It's getting really awkward_ , he mentally scolded. He opened his mouth, expecting a structured sentence to come out. But Yuuma was not that lucky. Instead, he made a low pitched whining noise, that sounded like a baby animal dying. The brunet quickly shut his mouth, his face heating up in embarrassment.

 

Hiroto raised his eyebrows and looked away. "...Ok...then.." 

 

3 minutes after Yuuma made the whining sound, Hiroto finally spoke. "I'm going to give you my old binder." Hiroto informed as the two walked past a fountain.

 

"..W-What?"

 

The ginger groaned, his spine relaxing. "Oh my God, are you deaf?" He asked in an accusing tone. "I said I'm going to give you my binder."

 

"I meant what as in why!" Yuuma defended. "I already have one."

 

"But it's _old_."

 

"And?"

 

"You're having a fucking giggle," Hiroto swore, clenching his fists in frustration. "You're gonna break your _fucking_ ribs if you don't get a new _fucking_ binder!"

 

An elderly couple who were sitting on a bench gasped in shock. "Well I _never!_ " The man shook his in disbelief. Hiroto shot them a cold look. Yuuma turned around and sent them an apologetic smile.

 

"Okay, you could've told me that before you scared the living daylights out of that elderly couple!" Yuuma urged, motioning at the couple who were whispering and shaking their heads. "Seriously, do you kiss your mother with that mouth?"

 

"Calm down. All I did was _swear_. Fuck isn't even that bad of an insult, you know," The ginger shook his head. "...Have you sworn before?" Hiroto pried dubiously.

 

"Yes, of course. Hasn't everyone?"

 

"Hmm, I don't believe you," Hiroto smirked in amusement. "Swear right now. In front of me."

 

"What, I- No!" The brunet shook his head.

 

The shit eating grin on Hiroto's face only grew. "Scared to break your streak? Just admit it, you've never swore before."

 

"You've heard me swear! I said bitch like a week ago!"

 

"Eh bitch _technically_ isn't a swear. You just called me a female dog, that's all," Hiroto shrugged nonchalantly. "I want to hear absolute filth come out of your mouth. The kind that makes people wish they didn't have functioning eardrums."

 

"I can't just _swear_. I need, like, something to describe."

 

"Describe me then," The ginger offered. "Look deep into your soul and describe me."

 

"...You're gonna get offended."

 

"Trust me, I lost the ability to get offended two years ago. And plus, I wanna hear your opinion of me."

 

Yuuma paused before he narrowed his eyes. The brunet took a deep breath and opened his mouth. "Hiroto Maehara, you have got to be one of the most self centred, careless _fuck nugget_ I've ever met. All you fucking do is sit on your fucking ass and 'blaze it', which is probably the least coolest thing you could do, you _cunt._ You're a giant, virgin mongo with no pals, you absolute dipshit. You are the cumshot your mother should've fucking swallowed because literally anyone else is better than you," Yuuma breathed out, resting a hand on his chest. "Cunt."

 

The ginger blinked rapidly, looking genuinely offended, before he started to slow clap. "Bravo, new kid. Bravo. You're quite the little savage, aren't you? Now all you need to do is learn how to rap. Then you can spit bars and then you can spit flames," Hiroto waved his hands in front of his face. "And then you can drag people to the lowest points of hell."

 

"I can't rap, before you ask," Yuuma interjected dryly. "And it's not roasting someone if they ask you to."

 

"It was still the sickest diss track of 2016," Hiroto shrugged. "I didn't know you thought so highly of me. But, uh, I have standards. I don't do weed."

 

"You still smoke. And you drink." Yuuma pointed out.

 

"Smoking, yes. Drinking, not a lot," Hiroto folded his arms behind his head. "I used to drink a lot more when I was 12."

 

"You're going to get lung cancer before you graduate." Yuuma muttered as they reached the end of the park. From there, it would only be a few minutes until they parted ways.   

 

"....Is that... _concern_ in your voice?" Hiroto asked in a mocking tone. He placed a hand against his chest, a fake but somehow genuine smile on his face. "Aww Yuuma. I never knew you cared so much!"  

 

"I don't care about _you_ ," Yuuma retorted in a harsh tone. "But I don't own a good funeral suit and frankly, I don't want to buy one."

 

Hiroto pretended to wipe away tears. "Fucking  savage." Yuuma didn't say anything, he only grunted and rolled his eyes.

 

Neither of the two spoke until they reached the start of Hiroto's street. Before the ginger walked away, he held out his hand. "Give me your phone."

 

Yuuma blinked before getting it out and unlocking. He handed it over to Hiroto. The ginger quickly tapped the screen a few times before handing it back over. Yuuma peered at his screen. A new contact had been added. _'Dorito'_.

 

Before Yuuma could even open his mouth, Hiroto had sashayed off. "I'll give you your binder tomorrow before registration." He waved his hand dismissively, his hips swinging even more.

 

Yuuma walked back home in silence, conflicted on what to make of Hiroto.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was finally the day of the inter high competition. Yuuma and Hiroto had left registration early, so that they could make the bus. They class stared at the two, fully clad in PE kit with rackets instead of bags. Under his 'twenty one pilots' t-shirt was Hiroto's binder, almost brand new. It was cream, instead of his light grey one. And as much as Yuuma hated to admit it, the ginger had been right about his old one. His new binder ( _Hiroto's binder,_ he constantly reminded himself.) was far less tight but still did the same job.

 

It felt, well, right. But it did stink of smoke.

 

Hiroto kept his stoic expression until they had walked out of the corridor. "Does it feel okay?"

 

"Hm? Oh right," Yuuma glanced down at his chest. "It feels good. Uh, thank you."

 

Hiroto opened his mouth, as if he was going to say something, but he quickly shut it, shaking his head. Instead he hummed as they met the PE teacher that would be accompanying them, a good looking blonde haired and blue eyed woman who seemed to have never smiled before in her life. Yuuma frowned in confusion at the stranger. Hiroto seemed to recognise her, however.

 

"You all alright , Miss [Jelavić](http://archiveofourown.org/tags/Irina%20Jelavi%C4%87/works)?" He asked, a cheeky smile on his face. The woman, Miss. [Jelavić](http://archiveofourown.org/tags/Irina%20Jelavi%C4%87/works), grunted.

 

"Hello, I don't think we've met," He glanced at Yuuma as they walked out of the school building. "I'm Miss. [Jelavić](http://archiveofourown.org/tags/Irina%20Jelavi%C4%87/works), head of PE."

 

"I, uh, Yuuma Asano." The brunet introduced.

 

"Someone else has finally joined the competition," Miss. [Jelavić](http://archiveofourown.org/tags/Irina%20Jelavi%C4%87/works) nodded at Yuuma. "Have you guys signed up for doubles this year?"

 

"Us? Yeah," Hiroto stretched his arms, yawning. "This year, we'll go to National's. I know we will."

 

"Let's just hope you get through Regional's this year," Miss [Jelavić](http://archiveofourown.org/tags/Irina%20Jelavi%C4%87/works) rolled his pitch black eyes. "I heard Kageyama and Hinata have doubled up."

 

Hiroto almost choked but quickly regained his composure. "Two crows don't scare me."

 

"Who are Kageyama and Hinata?" Yuuma asked, tilting his head to the side.

 

"Two single players. They come from the same high school, Karasuno. They're crows, aggressive in nature," Hiroto explained as they found the minivan that would be escorting them to the event. "They're good by themselves. But together I'm not so sure. They're personalities clash like nails on a chalkboard."

 

"Oh. Do you think we have a chance of beating them?" Yuuma raised an eyebrow as he sat down in the seat nearest the window. Hiroto shrugged.

 

"Depends," He buckled his seatbelt. "Let's just get through the Inter-High competition first, okay?"

 

"Okay."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Inter High competition was being held at a school called Nekoma, a fancy looking school located in the big city with glossy glass windows and sleek walls. "I'll let you guys register while I finish up here." Miss [Jelavić](http://archiveofourown.org/tags/Irina%20Jelavi%C4%87/works) jabbed her thumb behind her back, gesturing to the minivan.

 

Hiroto nodded and started to walk. "Ok, Miss. J."

 

Yuuma quickly hurried behind him. "This school...it looks so fancy..I bet the hall looks great."

 

"Hmm, it is," Hiroto's eyes scanned the school building. "The players aren't anything to scoff at either. They have this double pair, they're called 'The Two Black Cats'," Hiroto raised his hand. "One of them is this tall," He then lowered it slightly. "And one is this tall. They're polar opposites but best friends. They play good."

 

"Interesting. So this school is represented by cats," Yuuma scratched his chin. "What's Kunugigaoka?"

 

"Us? Well the school doesn't really have an animal. Actually the only person I can think of that has a name is just me and I'm referred to as a King," Hiroto grumbled. "I'm not the only one who's called a King. Kageyama's the King of The Court, as much as he denies it, and a guy called Oikawa is called the Great King," Hiroto paused. "They call me the Lonely King. Because I've never made any friends."

 

Yuuma shivered a little. "That's a little cold."

 

"Tennis is brutal," Hiroto rolled his eyes as the two approached the main entrance. Standing outside was a small blond boy (who's dark roots were showing) holding his phone and a taller black haired boy behind him, a smug look on his face. His eyes lit up when he saw Hiroto.

 

"Oho oho, good to see ya Hiroto," The boy waved. The blond haired boy looked up from his phone, his lips parting a little. "Didn't think you were coming, considering the time and all," The boy eventually noticed Yuuma. "Oho oho, what's this? You've made a friend! The Lonely King isn't so lonely anymore. Finally playing doubles?"

 

"Yes, actually," Hiroto shot back, his eyes glinting. "This is Yuuma," The ginger looked over his shoulder. "Yuuma, these are 'The Black Cats'. Kuroo," Hiroto nodded at the taller boy. "And Kenma." Hiroto gestured the blond boy.

 

"Do people still call us that? It doesn't really fit anymore," Kenma muttered, putting away his phone. "Then again, you're still the Lonely King. Despite the fact you found a doubles partner."

 

"You're still a black cat under all that hair dye," Hiroto pointed out. "Why did you dye it, by the way? You stand out like a sore thumb."

 

Kenma sighed softly as Kuroo snorted. "Told you. I told you. I said, 'Kenma, it's gonna look dumb'. But you were like 'It's my hair. And blonde is less harsh than black.'"

 

"I still look somewhat normal," Kenma commented quietly. "Not like you and your weird hairstyle."

 

Kuroo looked genuinely offended as he glanced over his short friend at Hiroto. "We should be able to play each other in the final. You better win all your matches. Otherwise, we won't get to face one another," Kuroo patted Kenma's head affectionately. "I can't wait to see how much you've improved, Lonely King. And I hope your new friend gets a nickname soon." Kuroo winked as he started to walk back into the school.

 

Kenma sighed in exasperation. "Goodbye, Hiroto, Yuuma. I hope we get to play one another." The small boy waved before hurrying after Kuroo.

 

Yuuma blinked before glancing at Hiroto. The brunet noticed the other boy  had tensed up quite a lot. Yuuma bit his bottom lip as he tried to think of something to say. "Friends of yours?" He asked in a weak tone of voice.

 

"Something like that," Hiroto muttered, his shoulders slowly relaxing. "But anyways. Cats don't scare me. Or us."

 

"Oh? Have we decided on an animal?"

 

"Yeah," Hiroto smiled at Yuuma. "We're foxes."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> an: prepare your anuses for an ungodly amount of haikyuu references. don't worry, i'll try and keep spoiler free.


	7. Hey, Hey, H- Heard You Were Talkin' Shit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> yaku is a smol tol  
> lev is a tol smol
> 
> bokuto is happy  
> akaashi: sigh
> 
> hiroto: angery // im not a king  
> yuuma: yo im more than an asano and holy fuck why y'all so tall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> an: i didn't mean to antagonize everyone from haikyuu I SWEAR THEY'RE ALL NICE, KIND CHILDREN.

 

Hiroto and Yuuma walked inside the school and started to head towards the gym hall. "They seemed.....eh.... _nice?_ " Yuuma said, raising an eyebrow.

 

Hiroto scoffed. "They're asshats when it comes to tennis." He grumbled.

 

The brunet scratched his chin in thought. "Kenma seems nice." He pointed out as the two passed an empty hallway. They turned left and continued to walk.

 

"He might be," Hiroto shrugged. "I've never grown close to either of them."

 

"No wonder they call you the lonely king," Yuuma shook his head. "Have you grown close to anyone?"

 

"Like two? Maybe three, if it's a good day." The two reached a set of red double doors. From inside, the faint sound of sneakers on wooden floors could be heard. This was the hall. Hiroto pushed open the door, light flooding the slight dark hallway. Inside the hall was at least 6 tennis courts had been set up, the thin straggly nets contrasting against the sleek white walls.

 

Yuuma sighed in exasperation as he followed Hiroto over to a desk, where a man with a laptop sat. "School?"

 

"Kunugigaoka." Hiroto replied.

 

"Names?"

 

"Hiroto Maehara." The ginger glanced at Yuuma, who flinched slightly.

 

"Uh, Yuuma Asano."

 

The man raised an eyebrow dubiously before glancing down at his computer, a bored glare in his eyes. "Singles and doubles for you," He pointed at Hiroto after some typing. "And doubles for you," The man gestured at Yuuma. "Singles play first at 10am. Doubles are at 1pm." His eyes travelled back to his computer screen, signalling that the two boys leave him alone.

 

"I thought you were doing singles as well." Hiroto whispered as they headed towards the poster that displayed the matches. 

 

Yuuma shrugged. "I dropped out.," He said simply. "I kinda just wanna watch you play."

 

Hiroto frowned softly. "You're weird, new kid."

 

"That is _still_ not my name," Yuuma deadpanned. "And I'm not new anymore."

 

Hiroto scratched his chin. "You're new to competitive tennis." He pointed out after some thinking.

 

Yuuma just slouched and groaned as the two arrived in front of the match board. "My first game is in 10 minutes." The ginger informed after a quick glance of the board. Yuuma checked to see who he was going to play. The first singles game that Hiroto would play was against a player called Yaku Morisuke, who was also from Nekoma. "That's an....odd name," Yuuma commented dryly. "Do you know him?"

 

"Meh. I know what he looks like," Hiroto turned around and pointed to a bench where a small, light brown haired boy sat. Next to him was a freakishly tall silver haired boy, with venomously green eyes. "And that he's the mum friend."

 

"Oh. _Oh_ ," Yuuma frowned at the green eyed giant. "Who's the beanstalk sitting next to him?"

 

Hiroto snorted. "That's Lev Haiba, his tennis partner. The last time I talked to him, he was 189cm."

 

"189cm!" Yuuma exclaimed, his eyes bulging out of his sockets. "That's i-impossible! He looks....terrifying."

 

"I think he's grown taller," Hiroto wondered aloud, noticing Yuuma's scared expression. "It's actually Yaku who's the ass." As if on cue, Yaku stood up and hit Lev over the head with his racket. The silver haired boy just laughed, making Yaku hit him again.

 

"Are they good players?"

 

"Mediocre," Hiroto shrugged. "But I've never played them enough times."

 

"Do they have any nicknames?"

 

"Not really. They'd blend in quite nicely if it wasn't for the obvious height difference," Hiroto checked his phone. "It's 7 minutes till I play."

 

"I think I'm going to go to the bathroom," Yuuma clutched his lower stomach. "I don't feel too good."

 

Hiroto's eyes widened in fear. "Is it.... _that?_ " He asked quietly.

 

The brunet shook his head. "No. It just hurts," He pointed to a set of double doors to the side of the gym hall. "Are the toilets down there?"

 

Hiroto nodded. "Don't get mugged." He advised. Yuuma rolled his eyes.

 

"I'll try not to."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The brunet splashed his face with cold water and rubbed his eyes. Going to the toilet had somehow helped his stomach ache, though Yuuma suspected that he was just nervous. After washing his hands thoroughly and drying his hands on the sleek grey hand driers, Yuuma went to open the door, only for it open before he reached the handle.

 

Standing there in the doorway was a boy with spiked  greyish white hair with black streaks, round golden eyes and a smile on his face. His eyes slowly drifted to Yuuma, who gulped as the taller boy smiled.

 

"Hey, hey, hey! I don't think I've seen you before!" He greeted enthusiastically. "I'm Bokuto Kotaro! From Fukurodani Academy!" Bokuto introduced himself. Yuuma felt himself shudder a little.

 

"I, uh, Yuuma Asano?" Yuuma waved, mentally cursing himself for making it sound like a question.

 

Bokuto blinked. "Huh? Asano? As in Gakushuu Asano?" Bokuto's eyes widened, resembling those of an owl. "Are you his cousin or something? I don't think he has any siblings.

 

"Oh, he's my step brother," Yuuma explained. "I only met him this summer."

 

 A grin appeared on the other's face. "That's cool, dude! Hang on a sec," Bokuto blinked again before sticking his head out of the doorway. "Akaashi! Come here quickly!" He called.

 

Yuuma heard a loud sigh and a "What is it now?" before a dark haired, straight faced boy with dark green eyes appeared next to Bokuto. Yuuma assumed he was Akaashi. He was slightly smaller than the owl-like boy but sill _tall_. The brunet kept on telling himself not to get intimidated and that height didn't have that much of an advantage in tennis.

 

Bokuto smiled giddily at him, clasping his hands together. "Look, look! It's Gakushuu Asano's step brother!"

 

The stoic boy's mouth opened a little. "Hello. I'm Akaashi Keiji."

 

"Yuuma Asano."

 

Akaashi blinked before narrowing his eyes. "Is your brother here? Is he watching or playing any games?"

 

"Oh, uh Gakushuu doesn't play tennis. At least not competitively," Yuuma smiled bashfully at the two (strangers?). "I, uh....How do you know him?"

 

"I go to a lot of maths competitions and he's always there," Akaashi shrugged. "He always wins though. No matter how hard I try, I can never seem to beat his test scores. Without a doubt, he's certainly the smartest person in Kunugigaoka."

 

Yuuma sweat dropped. That definitely sounded like Gakushuu. Bokuto suddenly clapped his hands together, causing Akaashi to jump. "If _you're_ from Kunugigaoka and _you're_ playing tennis, does that mean the Lonely King is here?" He asked excitedly.

 

Yuuma checked the time on his phone. "Yeah, his first match is in like 4 minutes."

 

"Have  you come to cheer him on?" Akaashi tilted his head to the side. "I thought he hated everyone."

 

"Oh, um. I'm actually his doubles partner," Yuuma rubbed the back of his head. "And I'm pretty sure he still hates everyone. Well, everyone except me. I think he hates me less."

 

"So....would you consider yourself his friend?"

 

"I, umm..." Yuuma trailed off, trying to think. His relationship with Hiroto had been worse than rocky, after the confrontation in the PE hall and the BDSM themed tennis match. But after the revelation that both were trans, it had gotten slightly better? Hiroto had given him his binder and his phone number, which were friendly things. But did Yuuma consider Hiroto a friend? "...Kinda?" He eventually answered, squinting his eyes in doubt.

 

Bokuto's eyes automatically widened. "The Lonely King has a friend! And he's playing doubles," Bokuto spun around and grabbed Akaashi's hands. "Bro, we might get to play him!" The owl-like boy turned to Yuuma. "And you as well!"

 

A faint whistle sound could be heard and Akaashi sighed. "Bokuto...don't you have a game...that starts now?"

 

The white and black haired boy blinked before tensing up, his eyes widening. "Crap! I do! Bye Yuuma! Tell the King I'm proud of him!" Bokuto waved at Yuuma before dragging Akaashi out of the bathrooms, sprinting towards the double doors.

 

Yuuma blinked, sighed and followed them, tugging on his binder as he walked.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The whistle signalled the end of Yaku and Hiroto's game. The ginger had won his game, with a near perfect score. The 3 or so benches surrounding their court applauded, including Miss Jelavić and Yuuma, who watched as Hiroto and Yaku shook each other's hand before the small brown haired boy sighed before walking back over to Lev, who was holding out a water bottle.

 

 "You play good," Yuuma commented as Hiroto sat down beside him. "Well done."

 

"Thanks," Hiroto fanned his face. "Did you find the bathroom in time?"

 

"Yeah," Yuuma nodded before remembering his encounter. "Um, do you know some guys called Bokuto and Akaashi?"

 

The ginger tensed up and turned to Yuuma, his eyes widened. "How do you about-"

 

Before he could finish his sentence, Bokuto ran up to Hiroto, sat down next to him and processed to hold him in a headlock. "Hey, hey, hey! How's you, Lonely King?"

 

The ginger tried to pry the other's hands away. "I'm just _fine_ ," He seethed through clenched teeth. " _How are you?_ "

 

"Good, good," Bokuto grinned. "You have a friend! It's a Christmas miracle!"

 

"It's November, Bokuto." Akaashi reminded from behind him.

 

"Regardless," The owl-like boy waved gave his friend a dismissive look. "I'm so proud of you!" He leaned in closer to Hiroto. "Did it cost you a lot? I doubt an Asano would just become your friend."

 

Yuuma felt his face heat up as Hiroto sighed. "I bought him for the low, low, low price of..... _nothing_ because on the surface I'm an asshole but deep down, I'm a nice person." The ginger rested a hand on his chest.

 

"And deeper down, you're an even bigger asshole," Bokuto said affectionately, letting go of Hiroto. "But, anyways," Bokuto shook his head. Guess what, Not-So-Lonely-King! We're in doubles this year too!"

 

"Greaat," Hiroto dragged on, a smirk tugging on his lips. "No offence or nothing, but you better start waving your white flags just now."

 

"Hey, hey, hey! Is that a challenge?" Bokuto narrowed his eyes. "The Lonely King and his Prince versus the owls of Fukurodani?"

 

Yuuma blinked at his nickname as Bokuto stood up, leaning against Akaashi. "We've been friends since we started high school. I presume you're still in the early stages of friendship, no?" Akaashi tilted his head to the side. "Teamwork and communication are key in doubles. Not to mention, getting rid of your pride."

 

"An Asano and a King? That's like asking a volcano and a tsunami to get along: It's just asking for trouble," Bokuto picked up where Akaashi left off. "Your personalities are bound to crash. Tis written in the stars."

 

Yuuma said nothing, only furrowing his eyebrows. Hiroto, on the other hand, narrowed his eyes, a malicious glint in the sea of honey. "Your next match is with Kenma, right? Let's hope that little kitten doesn't tear your wings." He commented darkly, tilting his head forward.

 

Bokuto perked immediately, seemingly unaffected by the threat. "Kenma's here? THAT MEANS KUROO'S HERE TOO! I GOTTA FIND MY BROSEPH!" The duo-coloured hair boy sprinted off, heading towards a Nekoma bench.

 

Akaashi sighed, shaking his head. "Why did you have to mention Kuroo? You know he gets ecstatic when hears Kuroo's name."

 

Yuuma quickly realised that Hiroto's 'threat' had actually been a reminder to Bokuto that his friend was here. "To be honest, I'm surprised he hasn't already gone charging down the hallways," Hiroto waved his hand in a dismissive manner. "Kuroo _does_ go to this school, after all."

 

"Kuroo plus Bokuto normally ends in someone being hospitalised," Akaashi complained. "And that person is usually me!"

 

"It's because you're too much of a mum," Hiroto advised. "Bokuto and Kuroo are like those dads at a family barbeque. Kenma's a cousin and you're a mum."

 

The darker haired teen quirked a brow. "Are you suggesting I drink wine out of a box while Kuroo and Bokuto crack open their 17th beers?"

 

"Oh absolutely."

 

Akaashi sighed (again) and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Noted, Lonely King. I look forward to facing you guys in doubles, that's if you don't scare off Yuuma Asano beforehand," He started to walk away but paused and looked over his shoulder. "Or if he scares you off."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> an: 3spoooky5u.tumblr.com is where it's at. hmu boi


	8. Romeo and Juliet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (aka that really gay chapter)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> an: after being maeiso trash for like 18 years, i completely forgot that maehara's fucking snarky to isogai (in the ikemen time episode, im pretty sure maehara says like 'well it should be free, especially since we're all keeping your secret') LIKE?? GINGER SON?? WHAT ARE YOU DOING?? REPSECT YOUR HUSBAND??

 

Yuuma blinked as he watched Akaashi chase after Bokuto, who'd found Kuroo (due to the fact that the hall was filled with 'OHO HO HO' and 'HEY, HEY, HEY!) From beside him, Hiroto sighed heavily. "Ignore them," He advised. "They like to cause trouble."

 

The brunet took a deep breath in and bit down on his bottom lip. "...They have a point though. You're a King and I'm an Asano," Yuuma looked around at Hiroto. "A King is self absorbed and cold. An Asano is independent and cynical," Yuuma shrugged. "You can't ignore facts."

 

Hiroto sucked in his cheeks, furrowing his eyebrows. "'Tis but thy name that is my enemy. Thou art thyself, though not an Asano. What's Asano? It is nor hand, nor foot, nor arm, nor face, nor any other part belonging to a man. O, be some other name! What's in a name?" He quoted, keeping eye contact with Yuuma.

 

Yuuma blinked, speechless. "That...was.."

 

"Romeo and Juliet, yes," Hiroto said coolly. "Act 2, Scene 2, to be precise. And to be exact, lines 38-43. Obviously, with some minor adjustments. You aren't Yuuma Montague."

 

Yuuma widened his eyes. "How did you..?"

 

"What? Romeo and Juliet isn't that hard to remember. And besides, the balcony scene is one of the most famous ones," Hiroto shrugged. "Quit looking like you've seen a ghost."

 

"Sorry. It's just that.......," The brunet trailed off. "You quoted it perfectly. And your pronunciation...!"

 

Hiroto rolled his eyes. "...Contrary to popular belief, I actually do pay attention in class."

 

"But your test scores are....."

 

"Abominable? Yes. Maybe it's due to the fact I believe in open book tests," The ginger shrugged, noticing that Yuuma was still wide eyed. "Your face is doing something weird, new kid. Cut it out."

 

"You're weird, Hiroto Capulet." Yuuma shot back.

 

A smirk tugged on Hiroto's lips. "Oh so I'm Juliet, eh? Does that make you Romeo? Are you going to sweep me off my feet and carry me off into the sunset?" He asked, leaning in close to Yuuma.

 

The brunet quickly moved away, his face heating up. "W-What? N-No!" Yuuma shook his head, trying to regain his composure. "And besides, Romeo and Juliet doesn't end with them happily married. It ends with Romeo and Juliet dead and their families in grief."

 

"So can we arrange this double suicide for tonight?" Hiroto stage whispered. "I've got a Biology test tomorrow and I'm _so_ not looking forward to it."

 

"Sure, I don't see why not," Yuuma shrugged before tensing up. "WAIT! Juliet's 13 in the original text! And Romeo's like 19!"

 

"Awesome dude. You're a paedophile," A passing coach shot both of them dirty looks. "I guess our love story is illegal. That's a shame."

 

Yuuma shuddered. "I don't want to think about it.....Why are we talking about Romeo and Juliet again?"

 

"Because you said you were _just_ an Asano. And I quoted Juliet," Hiroto remembered. "You said Gakushuu's your step brother right? Meaning that you weren't born an Asano. What's your real name?"

 

"Isogai. Yuuma Isogai," Yuuma looked down at his lap. "Actually, my real name was Yukiko Isogai. But, uh, it was Isogai."

 

"Isogai, huh? Nice name," Hiroto commented, folding his hands behind his head. "Okay, so. Let's say your parent's divorce and you go back to being an Isogai. Would you still be the same person?"

 

Yuuma blinked. "I mean.....I guess?"

 

The ginger clapped his hands together. "Okay, well there you go! You just proved my point. Asano is not a part of you. It's just a name," He gestured to Yuuma's body. "So you're more than an Asano. You're Yuuma."

 

The brunet felt his cheeks heat up. "I...uh.... _where did that come from?_ "

 

"Huh? Oh, I was just motivating you....did it work?"

 

"...Kinda?" Yuuma left out the part that his heart was beating faster than it should. "I feel like I need to motivate you now. Because they called you a King and you don't like being called that."

 

A wide grin appeared on Hiroto's face. "Oh I do like it. Just not in school. When we're in 6th year, I'll rightfully take the title of 'King'."

 

Yuuma sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "You're annoying."

 

"And you're not?" Hiroto asked mockingly.

 

The brunet ignored the insult, only rolling his eyes. "When's your next match?"

 

"Soon. Maybe in 10 minutes or so," Hiroto scanned the hall and pointed to Lev. "I think I'm playing him."

 

"The Russian beanstalk? Cool," Yuuma watched as Lev swiftly dodged a spurt of water from Yaku's water bottle. "Do they even get along? I'm surprised Lev would hang around with a first year, you know?"

 

Hiroto snickered. "Yaku is two years older than Lev,"

 

"No way."

 

"Yes way. Yaku is in fourth year, our year and Lev is in second year," Hiroto watched as Yuuma's eyes went wide. "Crazy, right? Oh and by the way, I was talking to Yaku. Lev's grown taller. He's now 194.3cm tall."

 

Yuuma spluttered. "How is he _that_ tall? I barely pass look 170cm," He paused. "I'm 172cm!" He exclaimed, exasperated.

 

"He _is_ part Russian," Hiroto laughed, holding his hand above. "I'm 175cm," The ginger then shifted his hand, so that it was above Yuuma's head. "You're just short."

 

"3cm centimetres, you asshat" Yuuma stuck his tongue out childishly.

 

" _Shortie_."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hiroto ended up winning both his game against Lev and his game against Kenma, making him the singles winner. He was given a medal and small, shiny trophy. "One of many?" Yuuma asked, quirking a brow, as Hiroto returned

 

Hiroto nodded. "One of many," He confirmed, not sitting down. "Wanna go see the doubles match ups?"

 

Yuuma shrugged, "Sure. Why not?"

 

Their first match was against Yaku and Lev. If they won that, they'd have a chance of playing Bokuto and Akaashi. And if they won _that_ game, they would face Kuroo and Kenma. "Looks like we're playing you guys first," Yaku tapped his finger of his lips. The small boy blinked when he saw Yuuma behind Hiroto. "Hey there. You're Yuuma Asano, right?"

 

The brunet perked up a little, at the mention of his name. "And you're Yaku Morisuke, right?"

 

"That's me. I'm guessing you're new to whole competitive tennis scene, because you look rather sheepish." Yaku joked before tensing up; he finally realised that Lev was resting his head on Yaku's. Yuuma shook his head, getting rid of his 'sheepish' look.

 

"I'm relatively new to all of this too," He grinned, reminding Yuuma of a Cheshire cat. "I'm Lev Haiba! Half Russian, half Japanese!"

 

"And 100% asshole material," Yaku mumbled, folding his arms. "Our game isn't on for at least 25 minutes. Wanna come have lunch with Nekoma and Fukurodani? Kuroo was gonna ask you two but, eh, he's currently _busy_ with Bokuto."

 

The ginger blinked. "......Are they hiding in the sports storage rooms again? In the volleyball trolleys?"

 

"Yeah," Yaku sighed, rubbing his temples. Yuuma laughed inwardly; he really was the mum friend. "I've sent Kenma to go find them both."

 

"You realised Kenma's just gonna find a spot with good wifi and sit there, right?" Hiroto raised an eyebrow.

 

"We'll just make the meeting spot where ever he is." Lev suggested, finally lifting his head up and standing straight. And holy fuck, was he tall. Not only tall, but slender and with giant hands and feet. _And_ _you know what they say about guys with big hands_.

 

 

 

Big gloves.

 

"That's actually a good idea," Yaku seemed genuinely surprised at his friend's idea. "Thank you, Lev."

 

"No problem, small fry." Lev said with a grin, resting a hand on Yaku's shoulder.

 

Yaku tensed up, swatting Lev's hand away. "Un-thank you Lev," Yaku growled, frowning before turning back to Yuuma and Hiroto. "I know we're all kinda crazy but what do you say? We've got food from the cafeteria."

 

Just as Yuuma was about to accept, Hiroto butted in. "You never ask me. So why now?" He asked, arms crossed with a cold glare.

 

Yaku blinked, before raising an eyebrow. "Welll, because this year you're not alone. You've got a friend. And if he comes along, you'll come along right?"

 

Hiroto mumbled something that even Yuuma couldn't hear, averting his gaze from Yaku and Lev. Yuuma just smiled from behind him. "We'll come."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Okay, so if a water bear and a land shark had a fight, who would win?" Bokuto asked, his legs crossed. Akaashi, who sat next to him, only groaned and leaned back against the tree.

 

Kuroo scratched his head. "Well, it'd be the water bear, right?"

 

Bokuto only grinned. "Well, yeah but imagine this giant land shark just crawling towards you!" He slapped his arms together, baring his teeth.

 

"Is the shark bigger than the bear?" Lev asked, trying to wrap his arms around Yaku, who shrugged them off.

 

"No, they're the same size."

 

Yuuma blinked, shuffling a little. "I think the shark would win. Because a water bear would have to swim, right? But the shark's more adapt to the water so it'd probably win an underwater fight." He suggested, curling his toes.

 

Everyone gave Yuuma a surprised look, even Kenma looked up from his phone, blinking. "....The Prince has a point." Yaku nodded slowly. Bokuto hooted in agreement, Akaashi just sighed.

 

The brunet frowned at his nickname. "Since when was I a prince?"

 

Akaashi shrugged. "Ever since you became friends with a King."

 

Hiroto frowned. "Yuuma's not my son, though," He paused, giving Yuuma a concerned side glance. "....Are you?"

 

"God, I hope not," The brunet pretended to throw up, wishing that his face wouldn't heat up. "That would just be.....weird."

 

Kuroo took a sip from his Capri Sun. "Brings a whole new meaning to the Daddy Kink." The black haired boy quickly dodged both Yuuma's and Hiroto's sandwiches.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"You nervous, new kid?" Hiroto asked, retying his laces. Yuuma rested a hand on his chest, lightly feeling the binder from underneath his t-shirt, and sighed.

 

"Not really."

 

Hiroto stopped tying his laces and looked up, frowning softly. "You're a terrible liar."

 

Yuuma laughed nervously. "I know, I know....Okay, so I'm a little nervous. Just a little," The brunet paused to cough. "We've never played together. We could be completely out of sync."

 

"Actually, it'd be unnatural if we _weren't_ out of sync. We're still at that awkward 'are we friends' stage, right? I don't expect us to just click."

 

Yuuma quirked an eyebrow in curiosity. "So it's okay if I screw up?"

 

The ginger's face darkened. "Of course not. I still want to win."

 

"Well, same, I guess," Yuuma sighed, managing a smile. "Let's just try our best, okay?" He asked, standing up from the bench. Hiroto didn't follow; instead he remained seated.

 

"...Yuuma?" His voice was quiet and surprisingly soft. The brunet blinked at the use of his real name, not 'new kid'.

 

"Yeah?"

 

The Lonely King sucked in his cheeks before exhaling, his cheeks turning red. "I'm sorry." He mumbled.

 

Yuuma chuckled. "What for?"

 

"Well, do you remember in that weird tennis match we had? Where we tried to hurt each other as much as possible?" He reminded, not looking up. "I aimed at your chest and you doubled over in pain?"

 

"I do remember," Yuuma said grimly. He had remembered taking a shower that night and wincing when he gently pressed on the bruises that littered his chest. "You called me asthmatic and told me to go join a sewing club instead."

 

Hiroto hung his head in shame. "It was before I knew about it," He rubbed the back of his head, ginger hair ruffling. "If I knew, I wouldn't of done it.....It was a dick move...and I..... _apologise_."

 

Yuuma blinked in surprise, taken aback at Hiroto's _mature_ behaviour. The Lonely King in front of him wasn't the same person who'd pinned Yuuma against a wall and threatened him; it couldn't be.  Hiroto seemed genuinely sorry for his actions, something that seemed completely out of character.

 

Yuuma felt his lips curl into a smile. "I guess that's what people call character development, huh? I don't hold you responsible, well I do, but I don't hate you." Yuuma didn't add the part he _really_ wanted to, 'I don't think I ever could'. But that was a little bit too gay for the current situation.

 

 _"Hang on. Since when did I think like that? God damn it, Yuuma. Keep your raging emotional boner under control, god."_ He mentally scolded himself.

 

Hiroto looked up in confusion. "Wait really? You don't hate me?" He asked, a trace of hope in his voice. "I guess I've been worrying about that for nothing, haven't I?"

 

Yuuma laughed, throwing his head back a little. "You're a big sop, you know that?" The brunet said affectionately, extending a hand to Hiroto.

 

"Whatever you say, new kid," The ginger rolled his eyes but still took Yuuma's hand, even squeezing it when he was on his feet. "Are you ready for _our_ first game?"

 

Yuuma nodded curtly. "Better now than ever."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> an: some nice lil character development, am i right? also maehara is a little too gay in this chapter but am i complaining? no. are you complaining? no.


	9. Yuuma.exe Has Stopped Working

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I OUTGAYED MYSELF THE FUCK

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> an: i believe in every single one of you's. YOU CAN DO THE THING, YOU CAN DO THE MATHS

Height had no real effect in tennis. Unless you were extremely short, you were just a good a player as the next guy. But there was something about the 190cm fourth year on the other side of the court. Despite Nekoma being described as 'cats', Lev looked like a snake, with his narrows, slanted eyes, sly smirk and long, flexible limbs.

 

Yuuma shook his hand, mustering a smile. His hands were almost inexistent compared to Lev's, who had a modified tennis racket. _Are his hands that big?_ Yuuma pondered as he moved on to shake Yaku's hand. The latter had _much_ smaller hands but still larger than Yuuma's. At least the brunet was taller.

 

Yuuma and Lev strolled back to their respective sides as Yaku and Hiroto waited for the coin flip. He briefly heard Hiroto say 'Heads' and watched as the referee threw a coin up in the air. It must've been tails, because Lev was thrown the ball. He caught it effortlessly in those giant hands of his....

 

_Stop it Yuuma. Get over his hands. Instead, focus on his feet. My God, they must be custom made. What size must they be, 13? 14 even? God, not even Dad's feet are that big and-_

"New kid," Hiroto chimed, tapping Yuuma's shoulder, making the brunet snapped out of his thoughts. "You aren't on eccies, are you?

 

Yuuma frowned in confusion. "...Eccies?"

 

"You know, eccies? Short for ecstasy."

 

"Like the drug?"

 

Hiroto paused, nodding his head curtly. "Yeah."

 

"I don't do drugs." Yuuma stated, a hand on his hip.

 

"Vanilla, vanilla. You're so plain, it hurts," Hiroto shook his head in disapproval. "I'm glad to see you're back on Earth."

 

"He's tall. _Really_ tall," Yuuma shifted his gaze from the ginger to the Russian, who was talking to Yaku. "My mind...I can't take it off of him."

 

Hiroto scratched his chin. "So you need a distraction....right?"

 

"Yeah but there's nothing to distract me-" Before the brunet could finish his sentence, he felt a pair of arms wrap around him and soon, his ear was pressed against Hiroto's chest. Yuuma blinked in shock as the ginger rested his chin on Yuuma's shoulder. The other was warm, Yuuma noted as he subconsciously inched closer towards Hiroto.

 

And that's when he realised. Hiroto Maehara, the _Lonely_ King was hugging him. It was so intimate, despite just being a _hug._ It was just so out of character and-

 

Yuuma released a breath he didn't know he was holding and focused on his current situation. _Hiroto. Is. Hugging. Me._ Yuuma's brain short-circuited as Hiroto gave him a small squeeze. "Don't lose." 

 

"I won't." Yuuma promised before Hiroto stopped hugging him, the warmth slowly disappearing. From the Nekoma bench, nearly every team member had gotten their phone out. Yaku grinned at Hiroto and Yuuma while Lev flashed them a thumbs up.

 

"I'm guessing you don't hug a lot of people," Yuuma muttered, glancing at Hiroto. He was at least 99% sure he heard Kuroo cheer. "They seem very proud of you."

 

Hiroto raised his shoulders and lowered his head, giving him a tiny double chin and reminding Yuuma of a turtle in its shell. "Hugs aren't my thing. Consider yourself lucky." He mumbled, looking away. The brunet didn't know if it was from the heat or the actual hug, but there was a very, very _faint_ blush on Hiroto's cheeks and his ears as well.

 

 _That's adorable,_ Yuuma gushed before shaking his head. _Stop. Stop. Hiroto is NOT adorable, you hear?_

 

The brunet couldn't help but chuckle. "Oh, trust me. I already do."

 

"Are you gays, I mean guys, ready!" Lev shouted from across the court, using his hands as a megaphone. Yaku snorted loudly at Lev's joke.

 

Hiroto laughed, his shoulders rising up and down softly. "Yeah!"

 

The referee blew his whistle twice, signalling that the game was starting. He took a deep breath in and exhaled, gripped his racket tighter and waited for Lev to serve.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The first set had gone to Nekoma, who'd won 6-3. Sure, getting three games was good. But you needed 6 games to win. And with the cats getting the first set, they only needed 2 more to win. If they won the second set, Yuuma and Hiroto would have to win the other three in order to win.

 

With the height and build difference between Yaku and Lev, they covered a lot of ground. A shot that was far out? Lev could reach it before Yaku even had time to think about it. A slightly curved shot? Yaku's arm would shoot out and hit it right back. They really were cats.

 

Yuuma briefly remembered Yaku from the singles matches. He was good, sure, but his true talent was in doubles.  

 

As Yuuma bent down to tie his lace, Hiroto walked over to him. "Hey, new kid," Hiroto's voice sounded cold. The brunet looked up, making eye contact with the other. "You're over thinking. Stop it."

 

Yuuma looked up and furrowed his brows softly, a small pout on his lips. "How do you always know what I'm doing?"

 

The ginger shrugged before grinning and rubbing his chin. "Oh, it's not much. I just always know what you're thinking."

 

The brunet turned up his nose a little and narrowed his eyes. "Creep."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Yuuma began to notice that Hiroto only used his name when it was important or when there were playing a game. It was "Yuuma!" after "Yuuma, get it!" after "It's out, Yuuma. Leave it!". The brunet didn't have the heart to even say Hiroto's name.

After the foxes won the second set, Hiroto walked over to Yuuma. "Do you know how to pronounce my name?"

 

"Yes?"

 

The ginger blinked. "Then say it. Just saying 'Get it!' doesn't really help in a _real_ competitive match."

 

_Real competitive match. This is nothing but an inter-school competition. This is nothing. I shouldn't be stressed out over such an unimportant match._

"Ok. Sorry, Hiroto." The brunet apologised, cringing a little inside. The name...it just sounded.... _weird_.

 

Hiroto sighed. "It's okay. You did good," He compliment, his mood suddenly shifting. "Your serves are making them have to move."

 

"Thanks.."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Lev's hits were hard and unpredictable. Some of his serves even went out (causing Yaku to tutor him for a bit). It was nearing the end of the third set, with Lev to serve. From the way he was standing, Yuuma knew he was attempting a kick serve.

 

 _Either to or away from me, to or away._ Yuuma narrowed his eyes as the Russian threw up the ball and lifted his racket. _To, right? It's gotta be to me._ At the very last moment, Lev flicked his wrist, causing the ball to barely land in the serve zone. On reflex, Hiroto raced forwards, trying to hit the ball. However, the ball had already bounced off by the time he got there. Yuuma's eyes followed the ball. _It's gonna land where Hiroto was standing. What do I do? I can't let it bounce twice. But how am I supposed to hit it over the net. Oh God, it's nearly on the ground._

Before Yuuma could stop himself, he dove towards the ball, his racket extended. The brunet managed to hit the ball back up before slamming his face into the ground. "Hit it, Hiroto!" He instructed, his voice being muffled by the floor.

 

He heard the sound of the ball being hit before the referee blew his whistle. Yuuma peeled himself of the ground, frowning a little when he saw a tiny amount of blood. "Jesus fucking Christ dude," Hiroto paced over to Yuuma and bent down, a half amused, half concerned look on his face. "Are you okay?"

 

The brunet lightly touch his nose, wincing a little. It would definitely bruise. "I'm good."

 

Hiroto gave him a lopsided smile. "You're actually crazy. Why did you just _dive_ out like that? You could've let it fall to the floor you know."

 

Yuuma shrugged. "I don't know. My body just kinda acted on its own. Did we get the point?"

 

"Yeah. But I think that's due to the fact that they were too shocked to move," Hiroto laughed. "It's not every day someone smacks their face off the floor....Are you sure you're okay? That was quite a smack."

 

Yuuma nodded. "Yeah. I can play. Just might have to get some ice afterwards," He wiped a few drops of blood away. "And maybe like a paper towel."

 

"Sounds good, new kid," Hiroto chuckled before extending a hand to Yuuma. "Up you get."

 

The brunet accepted the help and got to his feet, flashing Lev and Yaku a thumbs up. Their startled expressions soon died down and the match continued.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The whistle was blown twice after the fourth set. The game between Kunugigaoka and Nekoma had finished. Hiroto and Yuuma had won.

 

The ginger walked over to Yuuma and high fived him. "See? I told you this was easy."

 

"I literally had 16 heart attacks in every language ever, what do you mean that was easy?" Yuuma raised an eyebrow dubiously.

 

"You were nervous?" Hiroto tilted his head to the side. "I thought you did good."

 

"Well, I mean we did. Seeing as we won," Yuuma nodded towards the scoreboard. "Thanks for your hug. It was a good distraction."

 

Hiroto blinked before smiling a little "No problem, new kid," He then started to walk towards the net. "C'mon. We've got to shake hands."

 

Yuuma shook Yaku's hand first. "That was a good g-game," Yaku panted, smiling. Yuuma shook the other's hand. "Good job. That was your first competitive match, right?"

 

The golden eyes boy laughed softly. "Yeah. It was."

 

The short boy grinned. "Well, I hope you continue to play good! Who knows, you might even make it to Regional's."

 

"Let's just hope my nose doesn't get any worse." Yuuma joked.

 

"Yeah, haha. I hope you didn't cause too much damage to it."

 

"Me too," Yuuma let go of Yaku's hand. "I hope we get to play again. You two are a great team."

 

The brown haired boy nodded briefly. "So are you and Hiroto." He complimented with a wave. "Remember to visit the nurse! Just to make sure your nose isn't broken." He advised before switching positions with Lev, who was grinning.

 

"That dive was _so_ cool. I've never seen anyone dive so elegantly in tennis! I bet you could use Maths to find out the curve of your body." The half Russian, half Japanese man babbled excitedly, extending his hand.

 

 _Well, he is 2 years younger than me_ , Yuuma reminded himself. _It's crazy to think that someone so tall is so young_.

 

"Thanks. Your hits are great," The brunet shook his hand. "I bet you could play professionally when you're older, since you're so tall."

 

Beside him, Yaku tensed up, tightening his grip on Hiroto's hand. "Hey, thanks! I'm sure you and the King will go far," Lev closed his bright green eyes. "Well, actually, you're playing Bokuto and Akaashi next right?"

 

Yuuma nodded. "Yeah, if they win their match."

 

Lev whistled. "They might give you two a run for your money. But...I'll be rooting for you guys. Because of that _awesome_ dive."

 

Yuuma laughed. "Thanks."

 

The two Nekoma players walked back over to their bench, smiling at Kenma and Kuroo who had just won _their_ game. Hiroto's gaze lingered on them before he shifted it to Yuuma. "Let's go get some ice for your nose."

 

"Yeah.."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I still can't believe you did that." Hiroto shook his head, a smile on his face. "I think you're the world's biggest idiot."

 

"Second biggest idiot," Yuuma corrected, holding the icepack to his nose. "You're the biggest one."

 

The ginger gasped, clearly offended. "Just before that match you were saying I was smart," Hiroto exclaimed. "What's changed your mind?"

 

Yuuma shrugged. "You're the world's biggest idiot because you keep on talking about the dive!"

 

"Yeah? Well, you're a dick."

 

The brunet chuckled. "Well, I am what I eat." He joked before he could stop himself.

 

Hiroto's face flushed red. "What?"

 

"What?"


	10. Save It For The Bedroom, Yuuma

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> too many R rated themes for a bunch of high schoolers. seriously yuuma, keep ur boner in ur pants

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> an: i always try to do a slow burn and it always ends up with me pouring gasoline over everything.

 

Yuuma had never felt so embarrassed before in his entire life. His cheeks burned brighter than any star as his palms became clammy and uncomfortable. He'd actually just said that. He had just said that he eat dick, despite never seeing one in his entire life.

 

God, he was an idiot.

 

A big, fat idiot.

 

The brunet waited for Hiroto to do something, instead of just gawking at him. Hell, the ginger could probably twist his face in disgust and Yuuma would prefer it to the blank slate in front of him. After what seemed like an eternity, Hiroto sighed softly.

 

"You are so weird, new kid I swear," The ginger shook his head before looking up, the tiniest of smiles on his face. "But that was funny. So I'll let it slide. Hell, I might even use it in the future."

 

Yuuma blinked. "I thought you were straight?"

 

"I'm pan, actually," Hiroto corrected. "What made you think I was 100% straight, hmm?" The ginger waggled his eyebrow, a smirk on his lips.

 

"I don't know. Just assumed things," Yuuma shrugged. "I didn't mean to offend you or anything-"

 

Hiroto sighed again but louder. "No, no, no. You didn't offend me. Stop apologising all the time, You're doing my head in."

 

"S-"

 

"Don't you dare," Hiroto warned, pointing accusingly at Yuuma. "Otherwise, I'll make sure you break your nose."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Their next match was against Akaashi and Bokuto, who was still hyper. It seriously scared Yuuma, how much energy Bokuto actually possessed. He just seemed so.... _excited_. Even when he shook the brunet's hand, it looked like he'd won the lottery.

 

"Hey, Hey, Hey! You better play to the best of your abilities." The owl-like boy grinned, flashing his teeth.

 

Yuuma pretended that his hand wasn't being crushed by the other's grip. "Y-Yeah...you too."

 

Akaashi, on the other hand, had lightened up a little and gave Yuuma a small smile. "I hope you we're not holding back."

 

"Good. Us neither."

 

The brunet walked back to his side of the court, internally shaking at his grammar. _That doesn't sound right. God, now you look like you can't even speak right. And it's too late to say anything else, gosh-_

Before Yuuma could think about anything, he felt himself get pulled into another of Hiroto's hugs. "I'm gonna have to make this into a pre-game ritual, won't I?" The ginger asked amusedly.

 

"Probably." Yuuma replied.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Due to the fact that they were slightly more comfortable around each other, Hiroto and Yuuma won their second game with swiftness. _Wait, what? I thought they were good?_ Yuuma stared in confusion at the losing pair, who were just smiling at each other.

 

"I don't think doubles is where they excel at," Hiroto muttered, wiping some sweat from his brow. "Don't get me wrong. They work well as a team. I just think that just not by themselves."

 

"So maybe they'd do good in a team sport?"

 

Hiroto's eyes lit up. "Yeah, exactly," The ginger swatted Yuuma's arm playfully. "You're starting to get the hang of things. I'm so proud of you."

 

"I literally just suggested that they could work better with a team," Yuuma dead panned. "Please. Save your compliments when I make millions."

 

Hiroto laughed. "I hope you know, that if one day you become a billionaire, I will be knocking on your penthouse door, asking for a loan."

 

"Oh I'm not gonna live in a penthouse," Yuuma shook his head. "I'm going to buy an island."

 

"And as your tennis partner, I think it's only fair that you buy me an island."

 

Yuuma pretended to consider it. "Hmm, maybe. It all depends on-"

 

"Oi you two!" Bokuto called, using his hands as a mega phone. "You still need to shake our hands!"

 

Yuuma blinked, frowning softly. _Did I really get that carried away talking to Hiroto? God. C'mon Yuuma, you can do better than that._ "O-Oh."

 

The ginger only sighed. "I guess talking to you about your future millions really spaced me out, huh?" He asked amusedly.

 

" _Billions_ ," Yuuma corrected. "And shut your mouth. You just care about money, not my future."

 

"Guilty as charged."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

True to their word, Kenma and Kuroo successively made their way to the finals with little to no struggles. Yuuma admired how they played together. Kenma was, well, a dark horse. The quiet looking, meek like boy was more than confident on the court, reaching for shots that seemed near impossible. Kuroo was also not a bad player; he easily used his height to his advantage and with the addition of muscular limbs, his shots were powerful.

 

Yuuma and Hiroto, on the other hand, were average in almost every way. Medium height, medium build, medium strength, stamina, speed. Average down to the bone. Not only were they average but similar, almost identical in abilities.

 

Compared to the dynamic between Kenma and Kuroo, Yuuma and Hiroto were just two peas in a pod.

 

Regardless, Yuuma found himself brimming with confidence as the match between foxes and cats kicked off.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Watching Kenma and Kuroo play was an entirely different thing from actually playing against them. While Kenma might've had the elegance of a cat when you were off court, he had the sharpest of claws when he was your opponent. And while Kuroo might've had the ferocity of a wild cat when you weren't playing, he could easily switch up his hits on court, causing people to be thrown off.

 

The ball whizzed past Hiroto and landed just before the outer tram lines. " _Fuck_." Hiroto hissed under his breath as the referee blew the whistle, signalling that a point had been won. The ginger turned on his heel, going to retrieve the ball.

 

Yuuma sucked in his cheeks, furrowing his eyebrows softly.  There had to be a way around this. "Hiroto," The brunet motioned for the aforementioned boy to walk over to him. "I have an idea."

 

"And what might that be?"

 

"We can use their height advantages against them," Yuuma explained. "Like...trying to aim for their bodies."

 

"Like redirecting the hit?" Hiroto asked quietly, his eyes going wide. "That get us points, yeah but....Yuuma....are you insane?"

 

"Probably," Yuuma shrugged, a small smile tugging on his lips. "But it'd work, right?"

 

Hiroto ran a hand through his sweaty hair. "Yeah, I mean sure but....if we get caught...we lose."

 

"Well then, I hope you're a good actor," Yuuma winked, raising his voice. "It's not over till it's over after all."

 

The ginger shook his head, despite the smile on his face. "You're suicidal new kid. Absolutely suicidal."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Kuroo!" Kenma called, extending his racket out in effort to stop the ball. But Kenma's arms were too short and Kuroo's body had effectively froze. The tennis ball hit off the taller boy's stomach before rolling onto the ground. The referee blew his whistle, pointing to Hiroto and Yuuma.

 

Hiroto panted softly, stifling a yawn. "You still there, new kid?"

 

"Y-Yeah, I'm still here," Yuuma rested his hands on his thighs. "We need this next point, don't we?"

 

The other boy nodded curtly as Kuroo collected the ball. The worst thing about Kuroo's serves were the endless possibilities. While height was not key in tennis, it certainly helped to be on the taller side. Kuroo had free range to scan the court while his partner, Kenma, had very little options.

 

But that wasn't to say Kenma's serves weren't powerful. They were scary, in fact. _We can get this last point_ , Yuuma mentally reassured himself. _It's Kuroo who's serving. We can deal with Kuroo. I can deal with Kuroo_.

 

Kuroo was easier to read than Kenma. Meaning that when he threw the ball up into the air, Yuuma could tell that it was going to be out (or at least, near the tramlines). _He's trying to get us to move_. _We're exhausted. This is our last point, after all._

 

As the ball travelled overhead, Yuuma could see Hiroto start to move. The brunet froze with worry. _I forgot to tell him! Crap! I can't let him hit that ball, I can't let him hit it, I can't let him hit it-_

 

 

**OOMPH!**

****

_Ow. That hurts,_ Yuuma whined mentally, a hand reaching up to massage the sore spot forming on his scalp. _The heck did I just do?_ _What am I leaning against? It's warm but not flat- OH MY GOD THAT'S HIROTO._

 

Yuuma sat up straight, only to have his back knock against Hiroto's knees. Instinctively, his hands shot out to balance him, his palms placing themselves on Hiroto's lower abdomen.  Golden eyes met honey coloured ones, which were surrounded by red and pink. The ginger had a small cut above his eyebrow (much like the one in the sadistic tennis match) but _oh my_ god, he was blushing furiously.

 

The brunet was suddenly aware of his legs and his arms and his ass and _oh my god._ Yuuma was _straddling_ Hiroto.

 

Well. Today was just _fucking_ delightful, wasn't it.

 

Yuuma rolled off Hiroto as fast he could, his face automatically turning red. _Oh my God. Oh my God. I think I rugby tackled Hiroto and then fucking straddled him. Oh my God, what is wrong with me._

 

The ginger propped himself up, face still pink, as the referee blew his whistle twice. The game was over. Yuuma looked at the end of the court; the tennis ball was near the benches, still rolling a little. _Well, ok. My judgement was right. We won the match. But I'm dead. I'm so fucking dead._

 

"Are you okay?" A quiet voice asked, a tiny sliver of amusement in their voice. Yuuma slowly looked over to his shoulder, only to see Kenma who was offering a hand. "That was quite a, uh, _tackle_."

 

"Please tell me I didn't actually tackle him. Maybe like a nudge or a push but not a tackle," Yuuma whispered, his voice full of hope. "Right?"

 

"It was a tackle. A pretty sore one at that. I'm pretty sure I heard something crack," Kenma trailed off. "Oh and....nice straddle?"

 

"Please end my existence." Yuuma pleaded. _I never want to look at anyone EVER AGAIN._

 

"But you're going to Regional's," For the first time that day, Kenma's face genuinely brightened. "You'll get to see Hinata."

 

"You know Hinata?" The brunet half-spluttered, his eyes widening at the mention of Hinata's name. _I don't even know who Hinata is. It's just a name to me_.

 

"He's a close friend. I, uh, we....we were planning on facing each other in Regional's but uh," Kenma attempted a small smile. "I think you deserve it more. After all, you did that leap thing in your match against Lev and just now was....just....wow."

 

Yuuma blinked in disbelief before glancing at the score board. Oh yeah. They _had_ won. Yuuma and Hiroto, the Lonely King and the Prince, were going to Regional's.

 

That was quite an achievement.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hiroto didn't say anything the bus ride home. Yuuma pretended not to care; instead he focused on the trophy he'd won. _If we win at Regional's, we'll get an even bigger trophy,_ He thought to himself. _And we'll go to National's._

A cough from Hiroto snapped Yuuma out of his thoughts. _What I am saying? We're not going to win Regional's. I just straddled him, after tackling him to the ground. And I re-opened that eyebrow wound. He must be in pain. Fuck, it's too late to apologise now. Why am I like this?_

 

When the bus pulled up to the school, Yuuma could spot two tall, lanky figures standing next to a lamppost. School had just finished, maybe they were just waiting for a car.

 

But the mops of red and orange hair said otherwise. _Oh. Gakushuu and Karma. They're dating, I completely forgot....Oh shit Karma is Hiroto's cousin._ The brunet felt like crying. Today had quite possibly been one of the worst days of his-

 

"Chin up, new kid," Hiroto mumbled as the two walked towards the other two. Yuuma noticed that the blush was _still_ on his face. "You did good."

 

 _Okay so he doesn't hate me_ , Yuuma mentally breathed a sigh of relief. _But, uh, I can't imagine I'm his favourite person ever._

"I straddled you." The brunet blurted out.

 

"Who straddled who?" A cheeky voice asked. Yuuma averted his gaze from Hiroto to be met with the shit eating grin of Karma. "That sounds inherently sexual. I hope y'all used protection."

 

"Yuuma," Gakushuu murmured in a tone that was too similar to his father's. "Did I hear you correctly? Did you......straddle...Hiroto?"

 

"Uhhhhhhh......" Yuuma trailed off. "......No?"

 

Karma bit his lip before snorting. "Gakushuu....I think your brother's lying..."

 

Gakushuu sighed, rubbing his temples. "You went to a _tennis_ competition. How the fuck did you end up straddling someone?"

 

"The same way he crushed his nose," Hiroto jabbed a thumb at the plaster still on Yuuma's nose. "Playing tennis."

 

Gakushuu blinked at Hiroto. "Yeah..ok....I don't know if there's a new kind of tennis going around but back in my day...tennis was non contact-"

 

"And no sexual."

 

"That too."

 

Hiroto groaned. "You guys sound like a married couple already, gross. May God have mercy on your kids," The ginger mumbled. "Are you not gonna ask how we did?"

 

Karma raised an eyebrow "Oh I just assumed you both nicked them when the real winner's weren't looking. Is that not the case?" He asked mockingly.

 

"You're an ass," Hiroto complained. "Why are you still here anyways? I'm not 6. I can walk home by myself.....with Yuuma."

 

Karma remained stoic for a moment before leaning in to whisper something in Gakushuu's ear. The purple eyed boy chuckled softly and nodded his head. "I'll accompany Karma," He said with a wave as the upperclassmen started to walk away. "I'll see you back at home, Yuuma."

 

"Assholes." Hiroto murmured under his breath.

 

"Agreed," Yuuma curled his toes. "How do you live with him?"

 

"I don't know. How do you live with yours?"

 

"No clue."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The walk home was uneventful and quiet, which was fine to Yuuma, considering that he'd made a fool of himself earlier on in the day. Eventually, as they reached the park, Hiroto spoke up. "I don't think I've ever had that much fun before at a competition," Hiroto mused. "So, uh, good job on that."

 

"That's not a compliment," Yuuma sighed. "Considering how my nose is wrecked, I'm mortified, you're mortified-"

 

Hiroto pouted softly and tilted his head to the side. "Mortified? Because of what?"

 

"What do you mean, _because of what?_ I tackled you and then _straddled_ you. Subconsciously as well!"

 

"Ah, I see," Hiroto somehow sounded really down. "You're straight."

 

Yuuma blinked rapidly as he tried to form some kind of response. _Straight? What? No! I'm really fucking gay. Gay for you! I like you, you big idiot!_

Hiroto's eyes bulged out of their sockets. "Wait, you do?"

 

_Did I seriously just say that aloud?! Oh my God, I did. OH MY GOD._

 

"Uhhh..........y-yeah?" Yuuma admitted, his knees shaking a little. _No wonder people don't confess their love outright. I couldn't do this in public._

 

"Are you telling me, that all this _fucking_ time I spent worrying about _you_ and if you actually liked guys or not was all for nothing," Hiroto had resorted back to swearing every 5 seconds. "And you have a fucking _crush_ on _me?"_

_The way that Hiroto phrased it....it almost sounded like he likes me back. But that's crazy. That's crazy, right?_ "Uhh, yeah?"

 

The ginger slapped his cheek. "Well, maybe you could've, you know, _told me!_ God, you are probably the most idiotic, vanilla, pure, suicidal-"

 

"Shouldn't joke about that."

 

"-brainless, accident prone-"

 

"That was only once. Or twice."

 

"-guy I've ever had a crush on."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Wait what."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> an: repressed emotions r just so great lmao. this chapter was wild from start to finish bc lmao what's plot?


	11. The Maeiso Fanclub And Its Many Members

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> can maehara hiroto please step on me?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> an: *attempts to slide into dm's* *falls and doesn't get up*
> 
> hey guys its been like 6 years apologies for that. enjoy maeiso bc they deserve a spin off and headcanons and happiness

"You are actually deaf, aren't you new kid?" Hiroto asked, shaking his head. "I. Like. You."

 

Yuuma blinked in confusion. "I heard you but I thought you hated me."

 

"It's my way of showing affection, idiot," Hiroto furrowed his eyebrows. "Did the me giving you my phone number and the hug not scream 'I like you'?"

 

"Well, no...I mean yes...." Yuuma breathed, inhaling sharply. "This isn't some form of sick joke, is it?"

 

"No, it's not. I, honest to God, have a crush on you," Hiroto rested a hand on his chest, taking note of the dubious look Yuuma was giving him. "Look, you're really cute. And pretty. And handsome. And I've probably fallen a little too hard for you but that doesn't matter."

 

"Prove it," Yuuma said before he could stop himself. "Prove that you like me."

 

Hiroto blinked before shrugging. "Well that's not hard." He muttered before leaning in close to Yuuma's face and pressing a kiss against his lips.

 

The brunet's world imploded and then exploded and he swore that time stopped when Hiroto kissed him. The ginger's lips tasted like cinnamon, making Yuuma only want more. Even though you could smell the smoke on Hiroto's body from miles away, it was stronger now that Yuuma was pressed against him. And while it smelt a little rank, Hiroto stank of aftershave.

 

On the other hand, Hiroto was enjoying it more than he imagined. _Ok, so maybe Karma was telling the truth. This is probably one of the best things I've ever done_. Yuuma smelt like coconuts, probably due to his shampoo as well as lemon. He smelt fresh and tasted sweet; the taste of peppermint coating his lips. _Why are his lips so soft? Why I am enjoying this so much? Why is he enjoying this so much._

 

Yuuma pulled away, his face flushed and lips wet. "I, uh...well.......wow....ok......that, uh, happened...."

 

Hiroto  wiped his lips using his sleeve. "Did that prove it?"

 

"Uh, yeah.....definitely yeah...." Yuuma nodded, clearly embarrassed. "Um, wow...I'm sorry, I babble when I'm embarrassed. Am I babbling? _Because I'm pretty sure I'm embarrassed because my face is, like, really warm and it only does that when I'm embarrassed so I must be embarrassed. But it's not because I'm ashamed of kissing you because that was good and I loved it and if it was a hotel, I'd rate it 5 stars. You! I meant I'd rate you 5 stars . Yeah, definitely you. Because you're really good looking and you act really confident and unapproachable. But you're so down to earth that you make my head spin and honestly you're just amazing. Since I've never been to school before, you're technically my first crush and that's really cheesy and I'm allergic to cheese and_ -" The brunet slapped a hand up to his mouth. "Sorry."

 

"I think you broke the world record for words spoken in a minute," Hiroto raised his eyebrows. "That's quite impressive."

 

"If I broke any world records today, it was the record for how many times you can embarrass yourself in a day," Yuuma rid his face in his palms. "I think I'm nearing 100 at this point."

 

"You have the weirdest ways of flirting," Hiroto laughed. " _If you were a hotel, I'd rate you 5 stars?_ I've never heard that one before."

 

The brunet whined, the sound muffled by his hands. "It sounded good in my head," He pulled his hands away from face. "It wasn't that bad. I can think of worse."

 

Hiroto quirked an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "It was....pretty bad."

 

"Fuck you." Yuuma gave Hiroto the middle finger. "Let's hear one of your pick up lines then. They can't be any better."

 

A snake-like smirk tugged on the ginger's lips. "Ok, but it requires a little audience participation," He cleared his throat. "We're going on a date. Where would you rather go? Art gallery or the park?"

 

"The art gallery." Was Yuuma's almost instant reply.

 

"Nice choice. Ok, so what you would like to do at the art gallery, aside from look at art, obviously."

 

"Uhh," Yuuma fidgeted. "Kiss, I guess. Hold hands?"

 

Hiroto leaned in close to Yuuma again, the smirk only growing as he did. "But," He whispered. "You're not allowed to touch the masterpieces."

 

The brunet blinked rapidly before feeling his face flare up again. He opened his mouth to say something but Hiroto spoke first.

 

"But then again. Someone has to nail you against a wall."

 

"Ok, that's bullshit," Yuuma rested a hand on his hip and clicked his finger twice. "There's no way you could predict how the joke would end."

 

"Really? Because you have a slight pollen allergy meaning that the park would be of no interest to you. And plus, History is your favourite subject. We don't do Art History at school so you'd be curious," The ginger explained, flicking Yuuma's nose. "The holding hands part was easy. What else do you do?"

 

"You'd be a good con man," Yuuma stated blandly, fanning his face. "That or a prostitute. Because that was kinda smooth. Just a little bit."

 

"I have considered neither of those professions," Hiroto held back a laugh. "And I doubt I could ask the school councillor about either of them."

 

"It's true though! You just read me like an open book."

 

"You have the cutest ways of complimenting people, I swear to God. You're adorable," The ginger smiled warmly. "And anyways. They were just simple observations. Nothing overly special."

 

"And scene!" A playful voice called out. Yuuma jolted and glanced to where the noise came from. At the other end of the park were Gakushuu and Karma. both shit eating grins on each other. "You guys were brilliant!" Karma complimented, as if he was a movie director.

 

"Those fuckers," Hiroto clenched his fist. "I'm gonna fight both of them."

 

"Please do not fight anyone," Yuuma pleaded, grabbing a hold of the ginger's hand. "Gakushuu's trained in martial arts and as much as I love you, my money is and will always be on Gakushuu."

 

"'Shuu, did you hear that? They're in _love_." Karma swooned, falling backwards into Gakushuu's arms, who grunted at the sudden weight.

 

Hiroto completely ignored his cousin. Instead he widened his eyes in surprise. "Gakushuu's trained in martial arts? Which one?"

 

"I stopped paying attention after 5," Yuuma murmured as they started to head towards the exit. "I tried fighting him, like, once and I've never been more sore in my life."

 

"If you were to take me up on my offer at the art gallery, I could make you even more sore," The ginger winked suggestively, causing Yuuma to swat his arm playfully.

 

"Fuck you." He swore.

 

"Maybe later." Was the reply he got.

 

"Always use protection!" Gakushuu advised as the younger two regrouped with the older two. "Make sure everything's consensual."  

 

"You knew this would happen," Yuuma squinted his eyes at Gakushuu. "Didn't you?"

 

"Well," Gakushuu trailed off. "You could've made it less obvious that you had a thing for Hiroto."

 

"The same goes for you," Karma glanced at his cousin. "But for Yuuma. Not yourself. That would be creepy."

 

"I never spoke to you about who I liked though."

 

"You told me you liked guys after you started seeing Hiroto more. Your eyes would sparkle at the mention of his name," Gakushuu listed. "You're like a generic, brown haired, starry eyed protagonist in a romance novel."

 

"That means I'm the bland, white romantic interest," Hiroto mumbled, crossing his arms. "Talk about basic. And that makes you two the tsundere power couple."

 

"It's like we're all characters in a book," Karma noted, raising an eyebrow. "That would be funny, wouldn't it?"

 

Hiroto groaned and shook his head. "That would be weird. It's hurting my head by just thinking about it."

 

Gakushuu bent over a little, a sly grin on his face. "It hurts because you're becoming self aware."

 

"Imagine if we're all Sims."

 

"Stop!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**[tangy cheese doritos: why are gakushuu and karma so gay?]**

**[yum-yum: lmao i don't know]**

**[yum-yum: I JUST THOUGHT OF A SHIP NAME]**

**[tangy cheese doritos: lmao what is it]**

**[yum-yum: karushuu]**

**[tangy cheese doritos: oml that's great]**

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Hiroto asked you out?!"

 

"You like Hiroto?!"

 

"You guys kissed?!"

 

"You like guys?"

 

"....You won the tennis competition?"

 

Yuuma groaned and hit his head gently off the table. "Keep your voices down." He mumbled.

 

"Shit man, you right," Rio whispered, a smile on her face. "Ok. So, first question. Did you guys really win the tennis competition?"

 

The brunet nodded. "Yup. We're going to Regional's."

 

"That's the crow's domain right?" Kaede asked, taking a sip of her apple juice. "You'll have to play hard to win."

 

Nagisa, who was sitting next to the girl, rolled his eyes. "I didn't come here for tennis talk. I want relationship talk," He leaned in closer to Yuuma. "Spill everything."

 

"It started when he gave me a hug to calm my nerves before a match," Yuuma drummed his fingers of the table. "And then I might've straddled him when we were playing in the final."

 

Rio held up her arms in a cross. "Ok. Time out. You did _what?"_

"I, uh, straddled him. During a tennis match," Yuuma tugged on his collar a little. "I didn't mean for it to happen. It just.....did."

 

Kaede clapped her hands together. "Yuuma tops!" She cried out in glee before turning to Rio. "Cough up."

 

The blonde groaned and dug her hand into her pocket and pulled out a £5 note. "I swear you have a built in gaydar or something," She turned to the flustered brunet. "Sorry love but you don't scream 'dominant' to me."

 

"You guys made bets?!" Yuuma half screeched, mortified at his friend's actions."Please end my suffering."

 

"I'm out of £5 but," Rio smirked. "I could win it back with the kiss. What happened, my dude?"

 

"Well, we walked through the park."

 

"And?"

 

"I accidently told him that I liked him. And then he said that he liked me."

 

"Yeah?"

 

"I told him to prove it to me. And then we, uh, well kissed."

 

Nagisa choked on his milk, Kaede almost fainted and Rio held out her hand to Manami, who high fived her. "Maeiso is finally canon," The purple haired girl cheered. "My new IRL OTP."

 

Unfortunately to Yuuma (who was flushed pink), Hiroto was walking pass their table just as Manami was speaking. The ginger stopped in his tracks and slowly turned his head, his eyebrows furrowed.

 

"Your friends are so weird new kid," He shook his head and continued to walk. "And besides, Karushuu is better."

 

"Karushuu?" Kaede asked.

 

"Oh it's the ship name for Karma and Gakushuu," Yuuma sighed. "They've been dating for....2 weeks or so, now?"

 

Nagisa groaned and hit his head off the table. "Don't remind me. My OTP has been ruined."

 

"Your OTP?"

 

"Me and Gakushuu."

 

"Ooooh."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

During one of their many practice sessions during lunch, Yuuma and Hiroto had a time out. The brunet was lying down the floor, his chest less sore than before (due to one of Hiroto's old sports bras)

 

"You good, new kid?" Hiroto asked, leaning against the wall.

 

"Yeah. Just tired," Yuuma managed a smile. "When is Regional's?"

 

"Early January," The ginger smiled. "Can I ask you a question, Yuuma?"

 

The brunet tensed up a little at the use of his name. "Yeah?"

 

"Are you oblivious?"

 

Yuuma blinked in confusion. "What kind of question is that? I mean, I consider myself to be, seeing as I did that weird dive thing during the match," Yuuma sat up. "Why do you ask?"

 

"Oh well. It's because," Hiroto's eyes travelled over to the door. "Your friends followed you here and they've been watching us play. I'm pretty sure Kaede's taken 10 photos."

 

The brunet quickly got to his feet and standing in the doorway was Nagisa, Rio, Kaede and Manami, all with their phones out. "Seriously? Go bother someone else." Yuuma warned playfully.

 

"But my favourite OTP" Rio complained, walking over to Yuuma. "And plus, you need to introduce us."

 

"I'm not your mum," Yuuma pouted, his face burning up. "You can introduce yourself."

 

Nagisa followed Rio, a slight smile on his face as he walked towards Hiroto. "Hi, Nagisa Shiota. Not the biggest fan of yours but what can you do?"

 

"I know who you are, Nagisa," The ginger stated blandly. "We've been in the same classes since nursery. In fact, I know who all of you are."

 

"But do you know my position in the Maeiso fanclub?" Kaede raised her eyebrows. "I'm the president, obviously. Tumblr loves y'all by the way." She commented, waving her phone.

 

"I'm vice president," Rio grinned, swinging an arm around Yuuma's neck. "Obviously."

 

"Chancellor," Manami smiled, taking a bite of her ham sandwich. "And I really ship you guys. You're just so.....yes.....mmhmm.....it's like a sports anime. Gay guys playing a sport." She stage whispered, wiping away an invisible tear.

 

"A sports _what_?" Hiroto asked, narrowing his eyes.

 

"Nothing, nothing."

 

"And I'm the Ambassador." Nagisa scratched his head.

 

The ginger blinked before getting to his feet. "You've got some weird ass friends, new kid."

 

"At least I have friends, gingersnap," Yuuma retorted, jutting out his hip and resting a hand on it. "You hang out with that emo kid, his emo girlfriend and your cousin. That's the lamest squad I've ever heard of."

 

Rio, Nagisa, Kaede and Manami all went 'oooh' and 'burn', causing the ginger to scoff. "Chiba can actually hold a conversation. And Hayami bakes bomb ass cookies," Hiroto rolled his eyes. "And Karma only hangs out with me because he doesn't have any other friends."

 

"Your squad is a bunch of rejects."

 

"And your squad is gayer than I am," Hiroto clicked his tongue. "Your move, bitch."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_brazil nakamura has added Maehara Hiroto into 'raging homosexuals'_

_brazil nakamura has changed Maehara Hiroto's name to 'yuuma's waifu'_

_'LMAO'-_ oh deer, im hella queer

_'whhhhhhyyyyy meeeeeeeeeeeee' -_ ikemen

_'whoever made the top reference earlier up in the chat can marry me ASAP' -_ yuuma's waifu

_'lmao nagisa ur a side hoe now.' -_ brazil nakamura _._

_'why won't gakushuu love me?' -_ blueberry jellybean _._

_'lmao what' ­_ -oh deer, i'm hella queer.

_'gakuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuushuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuwsqqqqqqq hehe'_ -blueberry jellybean

_'??????'_ -yuuma's waifu

_'what's up with nagisa? he's not normally this gay'_ -brazil nakamura

_'cabbage'_ -blueberry jellybean

_'I KNOW WHAT'S WRONG'_ -bill nye the science guy

_'LMAO WHAT IS IT'_ -brazil nakamura

_'FUCK OK SO NAGISA CAME OVER TO MY HOUSE'_ -bill nye the science guy

_'call me fed ex cos i ship it'_ -oh deer, i'm hella queer

_'FUCK OFF WE'RE BOTH GAY BUT ANYWAYS. HE CAME OVER AND ASKED FOR SOME WATER. AND I LOOKED IN THE FRIDGE AND THERE WAS A FLASK OF CLEAR LIQUID SO I GAVE IT TO HIM.'_ -bill nye the science guy

_'I THINK YOU GAVE HIM VODKA. HE'S DRUNK AF. LMAO YOU WILD GAL.' ­_ -yuuma's waifu

_'ohifqqqqqqqqqq'_ -blueberry jellybean

_'SOMEONE SAVE NAGISA SHIOTA 2K16'_ -ikemen

_'fucking hell he's pissed.' ­_ -yuuma's waifu

_'what do we do?' ­_ ­-oh deer, i'm hella queer

_'uhhh screenshot this convo?? use it as blackmail?? take stuff out of context?'_ ­-brazil nakamura

_'he seeees em as a fren but i wAnt it in my anal ass.'_ -blueberry jellybean

_'like that?'_ -oh deer, i'm hella queer.

_'definitely like that'_ -brazil nakamura

 

 _'THIS CHAT IS FUCKING LIT AF LMAO Y'ALL ARE WILD_ -yuuma's waifu

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK OK! so if you want some maeiso love-children (WHO ARE SIBLINGS IN THE SHOW), the Tanizaki siblings from Bungou Stray Dogs are the closest things we're ever getting (not that im complaining bc i love them both)
> 
> Junichirou Tanizaki: looks like maehara, acts like isogai (sweet, anxiety ridden bby, ily)  
> Naomi Tanizaki: looks like isogai, acts like maehara (incredibly flirty and inappropriate)
> 
> GO CHECK THESE BABES OUT


	12. A Day To Remember

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> yuuma turns 15 and hiroto gets stuck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> an: HEY HEY HEY! if you're reading this story, you must like maeiso.....riiight? (fuckin' hope so bc there's gonna be a lot of it) lmao guess who's co-hosting a MaeIso week in February! go check out @maeisoweek on tumblr!!

 

Yuuma slowly opened his eyes, furrowing his eyebrows softly. Beams of sunlight tickled his eyelids. Which was unusual, seeing as his normally had his curtains closed. _Someone's opened my curtains_. _..ugh...._ The feeling of the cold winter sun on his warm skin was unpleasant and as he wiggled his way down in his bed, he felt a weight pressing down on his bed. _Is someone in here?!_ He mentally panicked, shooting up right in his bed.

 

Well, he was right. There was someone sitting cross legged on his bed. But their salamander orange coloured hair and twinkly purple eyes, the stranger was not a stranger. Instead it was Gakushuu, one of his rare, _genuine_ smiles on his face.

 

The brunet stifled a yawn, slightly weirded out by his older brother's actions (He quickly remembered that it was the 13th November, his birthday) "Why are you on my bed?" Yuuma asked, rubbing his eyes. "And why are you fully dressed already?" The birthday boy motioned to Gakushuu who was already dressed in full school uniform.

 

Gakushuu rolled his eyes. "Because it's your birthday. And being the amazing older sibling that I am-"

 

"That's debatable," Yuuma muttered. "Who breaks into their brother's bedroom and watches them sleep?"

 

"Obviously the best one? Who just happens to be me," Gakushuu flaunted. "Look, I even got you a present!" The older boy reached behind him and thrusted a thick rectangle shaped present towards Yuuma.

 

The brunet blinked twice before accepting the box. _That's what you're supposed to do normally,_ Yuuma mentally complained as he peeled away the grey wrapping paper, only to reveal two very, very, _very_ , thick textbooks. Yuuma glanced at the spines of them. One was a Geography textbook and the other was a History one.

 

 _Not that I don't appreciate it....but......textbooks? For my birthday?_ "Gakushuu...." The brunet trailed off.

 

"Yes?"

 

"What age level are these for?"

 

Gakushuu snapped his fingers, "Oh, college," He leaned in closer. "I hope they aren't too easy but all the other levels were online order only."

 

 _College level textbooks?........I just turned 15!_ Yuuma decided to open a textbook and squinted his eyes. "Gakushuu...." He trailed off again.

 

"Yeah? What is it?" The older boy asked

 

"These textbooks....." Yuuma flicked through the pages. "Are in Japanese."

 

Gakushuu blinked in confusion. "And?"

 

"Gakushuu..... _I can't speak Japanese._ "

 

"Well that's why Father got you a Japanese textbook," Gakushuu said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Obviously."

 

Yuuma blinked. _Textbooks? Is he...serious? Of course he's being serious....he's an Asano.....Wait I'm an Asano._ "Did everyone get me textbooks?"

 

Gakushuu sighed. "If you'd get out of bed...then maybe you'd see.."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"What did Gakushuu get you?" Nagisa asked, his own present in his lap. Yuuma felt his body tense up at the memory of his presents.

 

"Textbooks. So. Many. Textbooks," Yuuma mumbled. "Most of them are in foreign languages. So I have even more textbooks for them. And they're all college level."

 

Rio laughed cruelly. "I'm sorry but that is fuckin' comedy gold. That's the Asano ritual," She pretended to pray. "Have to read the Bible of Knowledge before you get into the cult of smartness." She giggled, her eyes wide.

 

Kaede folded her arms and leaned back in her chair. "I can see why you've never been accepted then," She sassed, raising an eyebrow before turning to Yuuma. "So your parents just got you textbooks?"

 

"Actually, I got a goldfish too," Yuuma smiled, remembering the gift his Dad got him. "His name is Kin."

 

"Your first day of being 15 and you're already a single dad," Nagisa joked, shaking his head in disapproval. "God damn it, Yuuma. Keep it in your pants."

 

"Never mind Yuuma's pants," Rio rolled her eyes before shaking the purple gift bag she was holding. "You should open my gift first."

 

"You know, I've only been at this school for a while now. You guys didn't have to get me anything," Yuuma smiled bashfully as he accepted Rio's gift first. "But, uh, I appreciate it."   

 

"You better," Rio fanned her face. "I spent all night making it."

 

Yuuma took the messily wrapped gift out of its bag and peeled away the blue tissue away to reveal something that resembled a cheque book. 'BOOK OF REDEMABLE COUPONS FOR YUUMA, THE ASANO THAT AINT AN ASANO'.  "I wrote the title before you had been..." Rio paused for dramatic effect. " _Converted._ " She stage whispered, as if being an Asano was like a religion.

 

A smile tugged on Yuuma's lips as he flicked through the coupon book. " _Coupon for an Amazing Joke........Coupon for Silence.....Coupon for The World's Best Hug,_ " He read aloud before looking up at the blonde. "This is amazing. Thank you!"

 

"Ayye, I knew you'd like it," She leaned forward and flicked to the back of the coupon book. She pointed at the last two coupons. _Coupon For Date Advice_ and _Coupon For Someone To Get Their Kneecaps Busted (By Karma)._ "These two are my favourite."

 

"By Karma?" Yuuma read. "As in Karma Akabane, in the year above us, the one that's dating my brother?"

 

"That would be the one," Rio smiled. "Nice guy actually. But uh, he's a delinquent. And a pretty decent one at that."

 

Yuuma smiled again and set the coupon book to the side. "Ok, who's next?"

 

Kaede slid a white envelope across the table. "Sorry, it's not much." She apologised as Yuuma pulled out the card and opened it. ' _To Yuuma, Happy 15th Birthday! Have a great day :-) Love, Kaede'._ Attached inside were two tickets to see the Nutcracker, in early December.

 

"Oh my God," Yuuma whispered, picking up the two tickets. "I thought these sold out, like, months ago."

 

"They did. But it's pretty great when your sister owns the Royal Theatre in the capital," Kaede smiled. "She just so happened to find two tickets." The green haired shrugged.

 

Yuuma widened his eyes. "Your sister owns _the_ Royal Theatre? That's amazing!" The brunet flipped the tickets over and almost choked when he saw that he was at the front of the Upper Circle. "These are VIP seats as well," He paused and looked up at his friend. "How do you know I like the Nutcracker?"

 

"Gakushuu," She said simply. "When he heard it was for you, he said that was your favourite. I'm glad he was right."

 

"So he does listen to me!" Yuuma gushed, placing the tickets away. "..Thank you so much! I love them."

 

A smile grew on Kaede's face. "No problem! I'll send my sister your thanks."

 

"I should've went first," Nagisa complained. "All of your gifts are really cool and mine is......well....not cool."

 

"You are such a liar 'Gisa," Rio shook her head. "I saw what you posted in the group chat. I _wish_ I thought of that."

 

"I'm grateful that you got me anything," Yuuma reassured. "You could've given me a bin bag and I appreciate it."

 

"That's because you're trash." Nagisa quipped as he slid his present across the desk.

 

"Steady," Yuuma warned jokingly as he started to tear at the wrapping paper. Nagisa had bought him a book, a power bank for his phone and a hand drawn card, with the words 'It's The Birthday Boi, Oh Shit Whaddup?'. ".....Memes?" He asked amusedly, opening the card to reveal a hand drawn version of the 'Shut Up And Take My Money' meme." But Fry was actually holding a £10 note. "Holy shit! That's amazing!" Yuuma gushed, peeling the £10 note from the card.

 

"It was either that or  'Daddy' card," Nagisa laughed but stopped when he saw the look on Yuuma's face. "I'm kidding, my dude."

 

Yuuma picked up the book. _'Diary Of An Oxygen Thief'_ was on the very plain looking cover. "It's right up your alleyway," Nagisa advised. "It's a good book."

 

"How do you know what kind of books I like?" Yuuma pouted, looking up from the blurb.

 

Nagisa shrugged. "I asked Gakushuu."

 

Rio slapped her thigh twice. "You _talked_ to _Gakushuu?_ Without stuttering or proclaiming your undying love for him?"

 

The bluenette only shrugged again. "Meh. I'm over Gakushuu. Why chase something you can never obtain."

 

"Knowing you, you probably already have another crush," Kaede raised an eyebrow as she pretended to file her nails. "Let me guess.....Jared Leto....from Suicide Squad."

 

Nagisa groaned. "How do you _always_ find out?" He grumbled.

 

Kaede tapped the side of her nose. "Manami found your Archive Of Our Own account."

 

"Fuuuuuuuuck."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Yuuma walked into the gym hall and was surprised to find it empty. "Odd.." He murmured to himself. "Hiroto's normally here by now."

 

 _Wait...Come to think of it, II haven't seen him all day._ Yuuma dug into his pocket and pulled out his phone. After finding Hiroto's number with little to no difficulty, he rung it.

 

The ginger answered quickly. "Yah?"

 

"Where are you?" Yuuma asked.

 

"Somewhere. I think I'm in Mexico the now. I'll be coming back soon."

 

Not only would Yuuma never believe that but the brunet could actually hear Hiroto's voice in real life. "I can hear your voice but I can't see you."

 

Hiroto snickered on the other line. "Never knew you were Amish, new kid. Because phones tend to let you hear noise."

 

"Oh fuck off," Yuuma snapped, glancing around the hall. "Where ar-" He cut off and narrowed his eyes. The brunet hung up.

 

"Aye, took you long enough!" Hiroto shouted while waving, a grin on his face. "Mind helping me down?"

 

Yuuma jogged over to Hiroto, who was currently suspended above ground. "How the hell did you get stuck in a basketball net?!" He exclaimed.

 

"Netball goalpost, actually," Hiroto corrected, kicking his legs a little. "I'm starting to lose feeling in my butt."

 

"How long have you been up there for?"

 

"That's irrelevant," Hiroto dismissed, starting to tuck in his legs. "Be ready to catch me!"

 

"Wait, what?" Yuuma asked and before he knew it, Hiroto had freed himself from the net and was falling. The brunet had to quickly stick out his arms in order to catch the other."Ahh fuck!" He groaned in pain as Hiroto landed in his arms. "You're heavy!" Yuuma complained, his knees shaking.

 

"Well, you're no feather either, hen," Hiroto stuck out his tongue before he flashed a thumbs up. "Nice catch, by the way."

 

"I'm at least 100% sure I'm lighter than you," Yuuma dismissed, shaking his head. "How did you get up there?"

 

"Karma," The ginger shrugged. "He dared me to go up but didn't help me down. He's a nonce."

 

"I'm just gonna assume you don't actually know what that means," Yuuma raised an eyebrow at the slang. "Wait....How long were you up there for?"

 

"....Since first period," Hiroto admitted. "Surprisingly enough, no one noticed me. I even had a nap up there," He jabbed a thumb behind him. "But then you came here and caught me bridal style. Which I appreciate."

 

 Yuuma felt the blood rush to his cheeks as he realised that he was in fact, carrying Hiroto. "I seriously hate you," Yuuma mumbled, letting Hiroto stand up. "Honestly, we're gonna be legal adults in a couple years! You can't do this in the real world!" 

 

The ginger's eyes sparkled. "Oh yeah! Hang on, let me get something." He clapped his hands together before walking over to where he'd left his bag, near the spectators seats. He unzipped his backpack and dug out a long, thin box. It was messily wrapped, with bits of loose celotape.  

 

The brunet, however, didn't care about how messy the box was. _Hiroto...got...me...a....present? I've never told him that when my birthday was...._ "How did you know it was my-?"

 

"I guess your friends aren't that weird," He shrugged. "They added me into the birthday group chat. I told them I got nothing. But that's only because I couldn't tell them what I actually go you. And, uh, the only reason I got you it is because you need them. And you didn't need them, I wouldn't have got you it," Yuuma glanced up from the present and noticed that Hiroto had gone pink in the face, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "I'm, uh, not very good with the whole 'giving' thing."

 

"You're so adorable, it hurts," Yuuma complimented, only making Hiroto even more pink, as he tore away the wrapping paper. Underneath the abomination of 'wrapping a present' was a cardboard box. "I swear if it's the SpongeBob thing, I'll kick you."

 

"I'm not that cheap," Hiroto scoffed, waving a hand dismissively. "It's _way_ better than the SpongeBob thing."

 

Yuuma blinked at his friend before opening the cardboard box. "...Is this what I think it is?"

 

"Gakushuu gave me your measurements," Hiroto explained. "He was genuinely surprised that, well, I'm trans too."

 

 _So it is a new binder!_ Yuuma exclaimed mentally, holding up the white fabric in the light. _That's actually.....really...thoughtful...._ "Hiroto....you shouldn't have..."

 

"Well, I mean, you're using my old one and that aint fun. Not when It smells of smoke," A light dusting of pink made its way onto Hiroto's cheeks. "And....uh......yeah..."

 

Yuuma smiled again and placed the binder back in its box before wrapping his arms around Hiroto. "Thank you," He smiled into Hiroto's shoulder. "It means a lot.....really, it does.."

 

"Don't mention it," Hiroto mumbled back, giving Yuuma a small squeeze. "It's just common decency, is all. Nothing special."

 

"Now I feel bad," Yuuma laughed nervously, sensing the kindness in his heart leak out. "You gave me a present and I'll have to wait till next year to repay the favour."

 

The ginger's grip tightened before whispering something quietly. Yuuma blinked in surprise. "Sorry, what was that?"

 

"6th of December."

 

The brunet frowned in confusion. "I, uh....ok?"

 

Hiroto sighed dejectedly. "I should've bought you hearing aids, I swear to God," Hiroto pulled away from the hug. "6th of December. That's my birthday."

 

Yuuma smiled and pinched Hiroto's cheeks. "Aw, you're still a little baby."

 

"Aw, and you're an asshole!"

 

"You are what you eat!"

 

Hiroto burst into laughter. "First dicks, now assholes? My boi Yuuma is a player, the fuck?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**[penis colada: im not walking w/ u today. me and hiroto are gonna walk home]**

**[cocktails: k]**

**[penis colada: do u not even care?]**

**[cocktails: ur old enough to look after yourself?? i don't know what you want from me??]**

**[penis colada: some validation pls. VALIDATE ME]**

**[cocktails: i validate u]**

**[penis colada: thank]**

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**[dorito baehara: im walking home with yuuma]**

**[kebab child: first date goals]**

**[dorito baehara: we arent even out]**

**[kebab child: ur already married?? to the guy??]**

**[dorito baehara: fuck off did u not hear me?]**

**[kebab child: yeah, ur walking home with ur husband. i'll walk home with mine]**

**[dorito baehara: blocked]**

**[kebab child: i'll buy u a pizza. with stuffed crust.]**

**[dorito baehara: unblocked]**

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Regional's start on the 5th of January," Hiroto explained, waving the sheet of paper in his hand. "And I already know who's our first match."

 

"Who?" Yuuma asked as the two turned the corner, down another similar looking street.

 

"Nishinoya Yuu and Asahi Azumane," Hiroto sighed. "They're a dream team, effectively."

 

"You say that about _everyone_ ," Yuuma pointed out. "Could I have some specifics, please?"

 

The ginger sighed. "Ok, so most tennis players at Regional's are from Karasuno, which is a good all rounder school for sport. Karasuno hosts the Regional's rounds, most of the time, because of their high class gymnasium. That's why so many tennis players from their school get to Regional's and stuff," Hiroto explained. "Nishinoya and Asahi are known as the 'Guardian Deity and The Powerhouse'. Nishinoya is in the year below us and he's barely 5'."

 

"Holy shit, he's small."

 

"And Asahi is 6' but he's in our year so I guess I can overlook it," Hiroto shrugged. "They've got good teamwork and pretty amazing reflexes," The ginger smirked a little. "Remember your little dive at Inter High? Nishinoya is known for those."

 

"Well, that's great," Yuuma sighed. "I'm guessing they know that they're facing us-"

 

" _Shut up._ "

 

"Excuse me."

 

" _I said shut up._ " Hiroto hissed again, stopping in his tracks. Yuuma noticed that the ginger's gaze was focused ahead. _He looks pissed._ Yuuma turned his head and froe when he saw a gang of people approaching them.

 

"You know them?" Yuuma whispered, feeling his heart pound out of his chest.

 

"Unfortunately."

 

"Yo, Haruko," The tallest of the gang called, waving an arm. "It's great to see you again!"

 

 _Haruko? He's talking to Hiroto, right?..........Wait......Haruko is a girl's name......No....no...no..no._ Next to him, Hiroto sharply inhaled. _They must be old classmates of his. Fuck this is bad._ "It's unfortunate to see that your kneecaps are in order." 

"Your cousin is a prick, you know," The tallest rolled his eyes. Yuuma assumed he was the leader. "It's unfortunate that you're still a cancerous whore."

 

"It's not nice to speak about your mother like that," Hiroto snapped back. "Especially when she has to deal with you."

 

"I was gonna let you and your boyfriend go but then you brought up my mother. But I've changed my mind. You know, I do have a policy against beating up girls. But for you," The gang leader pointed at Hiroto. "I can make an exception."

 

 _Transphobic piece of shit,_ Yuuma clenched his fist. "I think the fuck not you trick ass bitch," Yuuma swore. "The 1800's called. They want their fascist way of thinking back."

 

Someone wolf whistled while the leader pretended to be offended. "What a well constructed roast! Where is your ass from, Victorian London?" He insulted. "You do know what _she_ is, right?"

 

"I think you better respect _Hiroto,_ " Yuuma spat, getting more and more pissed off. "You _nonce_."

 

"Oh, aren't you high and mighty? And a tranny supporter as well," The leader mocked. "Maybe you're one too."

 

"Yeah, I am transgender," Yuuma stepped forward a little, much to Hiroto dismay. "What the fuck are you gonna do about it?"

 

Yuuma couldn't really remember what happened after that. He faintly remembered hearing the words 'brick her' and Hiroto telling him to dodge. And then he remembered his body falling to the ground and hearing a ringing sound in his ears.

 

And then everything was black.


End file.
